A multi-level analysis of the US cruise missile attack on Syria and its consequences

The latest US cruise missile attack on the Syrian airbase is an extremely important event in so many ways that it is important to examine it in some detail. I will try to do this today with the hope to be able to shed some light on a rather bizarre attack which will nevertheless have profound consequences. But first, let’s begin by looking at what actually happened.

a Syrian strike on a location which happened to be storing some kind of gas, possibly chlorine, but most definitely not sarin. This option requires you to believe in coincidences. I don’t. Unless,

the US fed bad intelligence to the Syrians and got them to bomb a location where the US knew that toxic gas was stored.

What is evident is that the Syrians did not drop chemical weapons from their aircraft and that no chemical gas was ever stored at the al-Shayrat airbase. There is no footage showing any munitions or containers which would have delivered the toxic gas. As for US and other radar recordings, all they can show is that an aircraft was in the sky, its heading, altitude and speed. There is no way to distinguish a chemical munition or a chemical attack by means of radar.

Whatever option you chose, the Syrian government is obviously and self-evidently innocent of the accusation of having used chemical weapons. This is most likely a false flag attack.

Also, and just for the record, the US had been considering exactly such a false flag attack in the past. You can read everything about this plan here and here.

The attack:

American and Russian sources both agree on the following facts: 2 USN ships launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Al Shayrat airfield in Syria. The US did not consult with the Russians on a political level, but through military channels the US gave Russia 2 hours advance warning. At this point the accounts begin to differ.

The Americans say that all missiles hit their targets. The Russians say that only 23 cruise missiles hit the airfield. The others are “unaccounted for”. Here I think that it is indisputable that the Americans are lying and the Russians are saying the truth: the main runway is intact (the Russian reporters provided footage proving this) and only one taxiway was hit. Furthermore, the Syrian Air Force resumed its operations within 24 hours. 36 cruise missiles have not reached their intended target. That is a fact.

It is also indisputable that there were no chemical munitions at this base as nobody, neither the Syrians nor the Russian reporters, had to wear any protective gear.

The missiles used in the attack, the Tomahawk, can use any combination of three guidance systems: GPS, inertial navigation and terrain mapping. There is no evidence and even no reports that the Russians shot even a single air-defense missile. In fact, the Russians had signed a memorandum with the USA which specifically comitting Russia NOT to interfere with any US overflights, manned or not, over Syria (and vice versa). While the Tomahawk cruise missile was developed in the 1980s, there is no reason to believe that the missiles used had exceeded their shelf live and there is even evidence that they were built in 2014. The Tomahawk is known to be accurate and reliable. There is absolutely no basis to suspect that over half of the missiles fired simply spontaneously malfunctioned. I therefore see only two possible explanations for what happened to the 36 missing cruise missiles:

Explanation A: Trump never intended to really hit the Syrians hard and this entire attack was just “for show” and the USN deliberately destroyed these missiles over the Mediterranean. That would make it possible for Trump to appear tough while not inflicting the kind of damage which would truly wreck his plans to collaborate with Russia. I do not believe in this explanation and I will explain why in the political analysis below.

Explanation B: The Russians could not legally shoot down the US missiles. Furthermore, it is incorrect to assume that these cruise missiles flew a direct course from the Mediterranean to their target (thereby almost overflying the Russian radar positions). Tomahawk were specifically built to be able to fly tangential courses around some radar types and they also have a very low RCS (radar visibility), especially in the frontal sector. Some of these missiles were probably flying low enough not to be seen by Russian radars, unless the Russians had an AWACS in the air (I don’t know if they did). However, since the Russians were warned about the attack they had plenty of time to prepare their electronic warfare stations to “fry” and otherwise disable at least part of the cruise missiles. I do believe that this is the correct explanation. I do not know whether the Russian were technically unable to destroy and confuse the 23 missiles which reached the base or whether a political decision was taken to let less than half of the cruise missiles through in order to disguise the Russian role in the destruction of 36 missiles. What I am sure of is that 36 advanced cruise missile do not “just disappear”. There are two reasons why the Russians would have decided to use their EW systems and not their missiles: first, it provides them “plausible deninability” (at least for the general public, there is no doubt that US signal intelligence units did detect the Russian electronic interference (unless it happened at very low power and very high frequency and far away inland), and because by using EW systems it allowed them to keep their air defense missiles for the protection of their own forces. Can the Russian really do this?

Take a look at this image, taken from a Russian website, which appears to have been made by the company Kret which produces some of the key Russian electronic warfare systems. Do you notice that on the left hand side, right under the AWACs aircraft you can clearly see a Tomahawk type missile turning around and eventually exploding at sea?

How this is done is open to conjecture. All that we are told is that the missile is given a “false target” but for our purposes this really does not matter. What matters is that the Russians have basically leaked the information that they are capable of turning cruise missiles around. There are other possibilities such as an directed energy beams which basically fries or, at least, confuses the terrain following and or inertial navigation systems. Some have suggested a “kill switch” which would shut down the entire missile. Maybe. Again, this really doesn’t matter for our purposes. What matters is that the Russian have the means to spoof, redirect or destroy US cruise missiles. It sure appears to be that for the first time these systems were used in anger.

[Sidebar: for those interested in seeing what such a system looks like here is a short video made by the Russians themselves showing how such a system is deployed and operated:

In terms of technical details, or we are told that this system can jam any airborne object at a distance of 200km]

I would note that those who say that the Russian air defense systems did not work don’t know what they are talking about. Not only did Russia sign an agreement with the US not to interfere with US flight operations, the Russian air defenses in Syria are NOT tasked with the protection of the Syrian Air Space. That is a task for the Syrian air defenses. The Russians air defenses in Syria are only here to protect Russian personnel and equipment. This is why the Russians never targeted Israeli warplanes. And this is hardly surprising as the Russian task force in Syria never had the mission to shut down the Syrian air space or, even less so, to start a war with the USA or Israel.

However, this might be changing. Now the Russians have withdrawn from their agreement with the USA and, even more importantly, have have declared that the Syrians urgently need more advanced air defense capabilities. Currently the Syrians operate very few advanced Russian air defense systems, most of their gear is old.

Legal aspects of the attack:

The US attack happened in direct violation of US law, of international law and of the UN charter. First, I would say that there is strong legal evidence that the US attack violated the US Constitution, Presidential War Powers Act and the 2001 Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) resolution. But since I don’t really care about this aspect of Trump’s criminal behavior, I will just refer you to two pretty good analyses of this issue (see here and here) and just simply summarize the argument of those who say that what Trump did was legal. It boils down to this: “yeah, it’s illegal, but all US Presidents have been doing it for so long that they have thereby created a legal precedent which, uh, makes it legal after all“. I don’t think this kind of “defense” is worthy of a reply or rebuttal. So now let’s turn to international law.

To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.

So, following the long and prestigious list of other US Presidents before him, Donald Trump is now a war criminal. In fact, he is a “supreme war criminal”. It only took him 77 days to achieve this status, probably some kind of a record.

As for the UN Charter, at least for articles (1, 2, 33, 39) ban the kind of aggression the USA took against Syria.

I think that there is no need to dwell on the total illegality of this attack. I would just underscore the supreme irony of a country basically built by and run by lawyers (just see how many of them there are in Congress) whose general population seems to be totally indifferent to the fact that their elected representatives act in a completely illegal manner. All that most American people care about is whether the illegal action brings victory or not. But if it does, absolutely nobody cares. You disagree? Tell me, how many peace demonstrations were there in the USA about the totally illegal US aggression on Yugoslavia? Exactly. QED.

Political consequences (internal)

My son perfectly summed up what Trump’s actions have resulted in: “those who hated him still hate him while those who supported him now also hate him“. Wow! How did Trump and his advisors fail to predict that? Instead of fulfilling his numerous campaign promises (and his own Twitter statements) Trump decided to suddenly make a 180 and totally betray everything he stood for. I can’t think of a dumber action, I really can’t. I have to say that Trump now appears to make Dubya look smart. But there is much, much worse.

The worst aspect of this clusterf**k is how utterly immoral this makes Trump appear. Think of it – first Trump abjectly betrayed Flynn. Then he betrayed Bannon.

[Sidebar: I mostly liked Flynn. I had no use for Bannon at all. But the fact is that they were not my best friends, they were Trump’s best friends. And instead of standing up for them, he sacrificed them to the always bloodthirsty Neocons in the hope of appeasing them. This is what I wrote about this stupid and deeply immoral betrayal the day it happened:

Remember how Obama showed his true face when he hypocritically denounced his friend and pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.? Today, Trump has shown us his true face. Instead of refusing Flynn’s resignation and instead of firing those who dared cook up these ridiculous accusations against Flynn, Trump accepted the resignation. This is not only an act of abject cowardice, it is also an amazingly stupid and self-defeating betrayal because now Trump will be alone, completely alone, facing the likes of Mattis and Pence – hard Cold Warrior types, ideological to the core, folks who want war and simply don’t care about reality.

The worst aspect of that is that by betraying people left and right Trump has now shown that you cannot trust him, that he will backstab you with no hesitation whatsoever. Would you ever take a risk for a guy like that? Contrast that with Putin who is “notorious” for standing by his friends and allies even when they do something really wrong! There is a reason why the AngloZionists could not break Putin and why it only took them one month to neuter Trump: Putin is made of titanium, Trump is just an overcooked noodle]

And now Trump has betrayed HIMSELF by turning against everything he, himself, stood for. This is almost Shakespearean in its pathetic and tragic aspects!

During his campaign Trump made a lot of excellent promises and he did inspire millions of Americans to support him. I personally believe that he was sincere in his intentions, and I don’t buy the “it was all an act” theory at all. Just look at the total panic of the Neocons at the prospects of a Trump victory and tell me this was all fake. No, I think that Trump was sincere. But when confronted with the ruthless opposition of the Neocons and the US deep state, Trump snapped and instantly broke because he is clearly completely spineless and has the ethics and morals of a trailer park prostitute.

So what we really have is a sad and pathetic version of Obama. A kind of Obama 2.0 if you want. The man inspired millions, he promised change you can believe in, and he delivered absolutely nothing except for an abject subservience to the real masters and owners of the United States: the Neocons and the deep state.

Trump did get what he apparently wanted, though: the very same corporate media which he claimed to despise is now praising him. And nobody is calling him a “Putin agent” any more. None of which will prevent the Neocons from impeaching him, by the way. He chose a quickfix solution which will stop acting in just days. How totally stupid of him. He apparently also chose the option of an “attack for show” to begin with, which turned into one of the most pathetic attacks in history, probably courtesy of Russian EW, and now that the USA has wasted something in the range of 100 million dollars, what does Trump have to show? A few flattering articles from the media which he has always hated and which will return to hate him as soon as ordered to do so by its Neocon masters. Pathetic if you ask me.

Ever since he got into the White House, Trump has been acting like your prototypical appeaser (it makes me wonder if his father was an alcoholic). How a guy like him ever made in business is a mystery to me, but what is now clear is that the Neocons totally submitted him and that they will now turn him into political roadkill.

I am afraid that the next four years (or less!) will turn into a neverending Purim celebration…

Political consequences (external)

Trump has single handedly destroyed any hopes of a US collaboration with Russia of any kind. Worse, he has also destroyed any hopes of being able to defeat Daesh. Why? Because if you really believe that Daesh can be defeated without Russian and Iranian support I want to sell you bridges all over the world. It ain’t happening. What is much, much worse is that now we are again on a pre-war situation, just as we were with Obama and would have been with Clinton. Let me explain.

The following are the measures with Russia has taken following the US attack on Syria:

Denunciation at UN (to be expected, no big deal)

Decision to strengthen the Syrian air defenses (big deal, that will give the Syrians the means to lock their airspace)

Decision to cancel the Memorandum with the USA (now the Russians in Syria will have the right to decide whether to shoot or not)

Decision to shut down the phone hot line with the US military (now the US won’t be able to call the Russians to ask them to do or not do something)

The combination of decisions 2, 3 and 4 does not mean that the Russians will shoot the next time, not by itself. The Russians will still be restricted by their own rules of engagement and by political decisions. But this will dramatically affect the US decision-making since from now on there will be no guarantee that the Russians will not shoot either. The Russians basically own the Syrian airspace already. What they want to do next is to give a similar capability to the Syrians. Not only will that allow the Syrians to defend themselves against any future US or Israeli attacks, it will provide the Russians plausible deniabilty the day they decide to shoot down a US aircraft or drone. Finally, the Russians are rushing back some of their most advanced ships towards the Syrian coast. So after giving Trump the benefit of the doubt, the Russians are now returning to a Obama-times like posture in Syria. Bravo Trump, well done!

Yes, I know, Tillerson is expected to meet Lavrov this week. This was discussed ad nauseam on Russian TV and the consensus is that the only reason why the Russians did not cancel this meeting is because they don’t want, on general principle, to be the ones to refuse to speak to the other side. Fine. Considering that we are talking about a potential international thermonuclear war, I can see the point. Still, I would have preferred to say Lavrov telling Tillerson to go and get lost. Why? Because I have come to the conclusion that any and all types of dialog with the United States are simply a meaningless and useless waste of time. For one thing, there is no US policy on anything. Over the past week or so we saw both Nikki Haley and Rex Tillerson completely contradict themselves over and over again: “no we don’t want to overthrow Assad. Yes we do want to overthrow Assad. Yes we do. No we don’t“. This is almost painful and embarrassing to watch. This just goes to show that just like the Obama Administration, the Trump people are “недоговороспособны” or “not agreement capable”. I explain this term in this analysis (written about Obama! Not Trump):

The Russians expressed their total disgust and outrage at this attack and openly began saying that the Americans were “недоговороспособны”. What that word means is literally “not-agreement-capable” or unable to make and then abide by an agreement. While polite, this expression is also extremely strong as it implies not so much a deliberate deception as the lack of the very ability to make a deal and abide by it. For example, the Russians have often said that the Kiev regime is “not-agreement-capable”, and that makes sense considering that the Nazi occupied Ukraine is essentially a failed state. But to say that a nuclear world superpower is “not-agreement-capable” is a terrible and extreme diagnostic. It basically means that the Americans have gone crazy and lost the very ability to make any kind of deal. Again, a government which breaks its promises or tries to deceive but who, at least in theory, remains capable of sticking to an agreement would not be described as “not-agreement-capable”. That expression is only used to describe an entity which does not even have the skillset needed to negotiate and stick to an agreement in its political toolkit. This is an absolutely devastating diagnostic.

This is bad. Really bad. This means that the Russians have basically given up on the notion of having an adult, sober and mentally sane partner to have a dialog with. What this also means is that while remaining very polite and externally poker faced, the Russians have now concluded that they need to simply assume that they need to act either alone or with other partners and basically give up on the United States.

That applies only to the official Kremlin. Independent Russian analysts are not shy about expressing their total contempt and disgust for Trump. Some of them are suggesting that Trump decided to show how “tough” he is in preparation for the Tillerson trip to Moscow. If that is the case, then he is badly miscalculating. For one thing, a lot of them as saying that what Trump has engaged in is “показуха” – a totally fake shows of force which really shows nothing. What is certain is that demonstrations of force are very much frowned upon on the Russian culture which strongly believes that a really tough guy does not have to look the part.

[Sidebar: if John Wayne is the prototypical American hero, Danilo Bagrov, from the movies “Brother” and its sequel “Brother 2” is the prototypical Russian hero: rather shy, softly spoken, of modest means, a times charmingly clumsy and naive, but in reality “the toughest of us all” (as he is called by another character in the sequel (if you have not seen these two movies, I highly recommend them though I don’t know if they exist with English subtitles (dubbing them would be a crime)).

American hero and Russian hero

What is sure is that the John Wayne types would never survive in the Russian street, they would be immediately perceived as fake, weak and showing off to try to conceal their lack of strength and they would be crushed and humiliated. Nowadays when Americans adopt what I call the “Delta Force/Blackwater style” (pointy beard, long hair, dark sunglasses, and a ton of muscles etc.) they look comical by Russian standards, Russian special forces (and I have met a lot of them) *never* look the part if only because they try hard not to look it].

Personally I don’t think that impressing the Russians was Trump’s plan. Nor do I believe, like some, that launching that attack during the visit of Chinese Premier Xi was a deliberate affront or some kind of “message”. In fact, I don’t think that there was much of a plan at all beyond showing that Trump is “tough” and no friend of Putin. That’s it. I think that the so-called “elites” in charge running the USA are infinitely arrogant, stupid, uneducated, incompetent and irresponsible. I don’t buy the “managed chaos” theory nor do I buy the notion that if before the Anglo-Zionists imposed their order on others now they impose their dis-order. Yes, that is the consequence of their actions, but it’s not part of some diabolical plan, it is a sign of terminal degeneracy of an Empire which is clueless, frightened, angry and arrogant.

I have already explained in my previous analysis why Trump’s plan to defeat ISIS is a non-starter and I won’t bother repeating it all here. What I will say is that Erdogan’s endorsement of Trump’s attack is equally stupid and self-defeating. I really wonder what Erdogan is hoping to achieve. Not only did the Americans almost kill him in a coup attempt, they are now working on creating a semi-independent Kurdistan right on the border with Turkey. Yes, I know, Erdogan wants to get rid of Assad, fair enough, but does he really believe that Trump will be able to remove Assad from power? And what if Assad is removed, will Turkey really be better off once the Emirate of Takfiristan is declared in Syria? I very much hope that after the referendum Erdogan will recover some sense of reality.

What about the Israelis, do they really believe that dealing with Assad is worse than dealing with this Caliphate of Takfiristan?! But then, we can expect anything from folks with such a long history of making really bad decisions.

Still, it really looks like the all have gone completely insane!

Then there is the embarrassing standing ovation coming out of Europe and the Ukraine. I really am embarrassed for them. They are rejoicing at the attempted removal of one of the last mentally sane and secular regimes in the Middle-East. Don’t these European “leaders” realize that if Syria is replaced by a Caliphate of Takfiristan all hell will really brake loose for Europe? I am amazed at how blind these people are…

The US’ “subtle hint” to the DPRK and China

Now let’s look at what happened from the point of view of China and the DPRK. First, as I mentioned, I don’t think that Xi felt that the attack during his visit to the USA was a slap or an affront. From another civilized country, maybe. But not from the USA. The Chinese are absolutely under no illusion of the total lack of sophistication and even basic manners of US Presidents. That is not to say that they were not outraged and very concerned. It goes without saying that they also noticed the “coincidence” that The USN has canceled planned port calls in Australia for the USS Carl Vinson and is instead sending the aircraft carrier and attached group towards the Korean Peninsula. They also noticed that this move has been given maximal visibility in the US propaganda machine. One “show of force” in Syria is now followed by another “show of force” in East Asia.

Typical, isn’t it?

If anything, this move will only strengthen the informal but very strong and deep partnership between China and Russia. Just like the Russians, the Chinese will keep on smiling and make very nice statements about international peace and security, negotiations, etc. But everybody who matters in China will understand that the real message of out Washington DC is simple: “now it’s Assad – but you could be next”.

Which leaves the DPRK. I am no mind-reader and no psychologist, but I ask myself the following question: what is worse – if the Americans fail to really scare Kim Jong-un or if they successfully do? I don’t have the answer, but considering the past behavior of the DPRK leaders I would strongly suggest that both scaring them and failing to scare them are very dangerous options. The notion of “scare” should not be included in any policies dealing with the DPRK. But instead of that, the dummies in DC are now leaking a story (whether true or not) that the US intelligence agencies have finalized plans to, I kid you not, “eliminate Kim Jong-un“. And just to make sure that the message gets through, the latest US harpy at the UNSC threatens the DPRK with war.

Have they all really gone totally insane in Washington DC?

Do I really need to explain here why war with the DPRK is a terrible idea, even if it had no nuclear weapons?

Conclusion: what happens next?

Simply reply: I don’t know. But let me explain why I don’t know. In all my years of training and work as a military analyst I have always had to assume that everybody involved was what we called a “rational actor”. The Soviets sure where. As where the Americans. Then, starting with Obama more and more often I had to question that assumption as the US engaged in what appeared to be crazy and self-defeating actions. You tell me – how does deterrence work on a person with no self-preservation instinct (whether as a result of infinite imperial hubris garden variety petty arrogance, crass ignorance or plain stupidity)? I don’t know. To answer that question a what is needed is not a military analyst, but some kind of shrink specializing in delusional and suicidal types.

Some readers might think that this is hyperbole. I assure you that this is not. I am dead serious. Not only do I find the Trump administration “not agreement capable”, I find it completely detached from reality. Delusional in other words. You think Kim Jong-un with nukes is bad? What about Obama or Trump with nukes? Ain’t they much, much scarier?

So what can the world do?

First, the easy answer: the Europeans. They can do nothing. They are irrelevant. They don’t even exist. At least not in the political sense.

Some countries, however, are showing an absolutely amazing level of courage. Look at what the Bolivian representative at the UNSC dared to do:

Bolivia: a profile in courage

And what a shame for Europe: a small and poor country like Bolivia showed more dignity that the entire European continent. No wonder the Russians have no respect for the EU whatsoever.

What Bolivia did is both beautiful and noble. But the two countries which really need to step up to the plate are Russia and China. So far, it has been Russia who did all the hard work and, paradoxically, it has been Russia which has been the object of the dumbest and most ungrateful lack of gratitude (especially from armchair warriors). This needs to change. China has many more means to pressure the USA back into some semi-sane mental state than Russia. All Russia has are superb military capabilities. China, in contrast, has the ability to hurt the USA where it really matters: money. Russia is in a pickle: she cannot abandon Syria to the Takfiri crazies, but neither can she go to nuclear war with the USA over Syria. The problem is not Assad. The problem is that he is the only person capable, at least at this point in time, to protect Syria against Daesh. If Assad is removed, Syria falls and Iran is next. Russia absolutely cannot afford to have Iran destroyed by the Anglo-Zionists because after Iran, she will next. Everybody in Russia understands that. But, as I said, the problem with military responses is that they can lead to military escalations which then lead to wars which might turn nuclear very fast. So here is my central thesis:

You don’t want Russia to stop the USA by purely military means as this places the survival of of mankind at risk.

I realize that for some this might be counter-intuitive, but remember that deterrences only works with rational actors. Russia has already done a lot, more than everybody else besides Iran. And if Russia is not the world’s policeman, neither is she the world savior. The rest of mankind also needs to stop being a silent bystander and actually do something!

Russia and China can stop the US, but they need to do that together. And for that, Xi needs to stop acting like a detached smiling little Buddha statue and speak up loud and clear. That is especially true since the Americans show even less fear of China than of Russia.

[Sidebar: the Chinese military is still far behind the kind of capabilities Russia has, but the Chinese are catching up really, really fast. Just 30 years ago the Chinese military used to be outdated and primitive. This is not the case today. The Chinese have done some tremendous progress in a record time and their military is now a totally different beast than what it used to be. I have no doubt at all that the US cannot win a war with China either, especially not anywhere near the Chinese mainland. Furthermore, I expect the Chinese to go full steam ahead with a very energetic military modernization program which will allow them to close the gap with the USA and Russia in record time. So any notions of the USA using force against China, be it over Taiwan or the DPRK, is an absolutely terrible idea, sheer madness. However, and maybe because the Americans believe their own propaganda, it seems to me like the folks in DC think that we are in the 1950s or 1960 and that they can terrify the “Chinese communist peasants” with their carrier battle groups. What the fail to realize is that with every nautical mile the US carriers make towards China, the bigger and easier target they make for a military which has specialized in US carrier destruction operatons. The Americans ought to ask themselves a simple question: what will they do if the Chinese either sink or severely damage one (or several) US Navy carriers? Go to nuclear war with a nuclear China well capable of turning many US cities into nuclear wastelands? Really? You would trade New York or San Francisco for the Carl Vinson Strike Group? Think again.]

So far China has been supporting Russia, but only from behind Russia. This is very nice and very prudent, but Russia is rapidly running out of resources. If there was a sane man in the White House, one who would never ever do something which might result in war with Russia, that would not be a problem. Alas, just like Obama before him, Trump seems to think that he can win a game of nuclear chicken against Russia. But he can’t. Let me be clear he: if pushed into a corner the Russian will fight, even if that means nuclear war. I have said this over and over again, there are two differences between the Americans and the Russians

The Russians are afraid of war. The Americans are not.

The Russians are ready for war. The Americans are not.

The problem is that every sign of Russian caution and every Russian attempt to de-escalate the situation (be it in the Ukraine, with Turkey or in Syria) has always been interpreted by the West as a sign of weakness. This is what happens when there is a clash between a culture which places a premium on boasting and threatening and one which believes in diplomacy and negotiations.

[Sidebar. The profound cultural differences between the USA and Russia are perfectly illustrated with the polar difference the two countries have towards their most advanced weapons systems. As soon as the Americans declassify one of their weapon systems they engage into a huge marketing campaign to describe it as the “bestest of the bestest” “in the world” (always, “in the world” as if somebody bothered to research this or even compare). They explain at length how awesome their technology is and how invincible it makes them. The perfect illustration is all the (now, in retrospect, rather ridiculous) propaganda about stealth and stealth aircraft. The Russians do the exact opposite. First, they try to classify it all. But then, when eventually they declassify a weapons system, they strenuously under-report its real capabilities even when it is quite clear that the entire planet already knows the truth! There have been any instances when Soviet disarmament negotiators knew less about the real Soviet capabilities than their American counterparts! Finally, when the Russian export their weapons systems, they always strongly degrade the export model, at least that was the model until the Russians sold the SU-30MKI to India which included thrust vectoring while the Russian SU-30 only acquired later with the SU-30SM model, so this might be changing. Ask yourself: did you ever hear about the Russian Kalibr cruise missile before their first use in Syria? Or did you know that Russia has had nuclear underwater missiles since the late 1970s capable of “flying under water” as speeds exceeding 230 miles per hour?]

Russia is in a very difficult situation and a very bad one. And she is very much alone. European are cowards. Latin Americans have more courage, but no means to put pressure on the USA. India hopes to play both sides. Japan and the ROK are US colonies. Australia and New Zealand belong to the ECHELON/FIVE EYES gang. Russia has plenty of friends in Africa, but they more or less all live under the American/French boot. Iran has already sacrificed more than any other country and taken the biggest risks. It would be totally unfair to ask the Iranians to do more. The only actor out there who can do something in China. If there is any hopes to avoid four more years of “Obama-style nightmare” it is for China to step in and tell the US to cool it.

In the meantime Russia will walk a very fine like between various bad options. Her best hope, and the best hope of the rest of mankind, is that the US elites become so involved into fighting each other that this will leave very little time to do any foreign policy. Alas, it appears that Trump has “figured out” that one way to be smart (or so he thinks) in internal politics is to do something dumb in external politics (like attack Syria). That won’t work.

Maybe an impeachment of Trump could prove to be a blessing in disguise. If Mike Pence becomes President, he and his Neocons will have total power again and they won’t have to prove that they are tough by doing stupid and dangerous things? Could President Pence be better than President Trump? I am afraid that it might. Especially if that triggers a deep internal crisis inside the USA.

Is she the last hope for the USA?

The next four years will be terrible, I am sorry to say. Our next hope – however thin – for somebody sane in the White House might be for 2020. Maybe Tulsi Gabbard will run on a campaign promise of peace and truly draining the swamp? Maybe “America first” will mean something if Gabbard says it? Right now she seems to be pretty much the only one refusing the accept the “Assad did it” nonsense. So maybe she can provide the mix of peace and progressive social policies so many Americans really want? Maybe she could become the first woman President for all the right, rather then wrong, reasons. I don’t know. 2020 is still very, very far away, let’s just hope we all make it to that date before some imbecile in DC decides that war with Russia is a good idea.

What is certain is that the Democrat vs. Republican and Conservative vs Liberal dichotomy only serves to perpetuate a system which manages to betray the values of BOTH the Left and the Right. This is paradoxical because it is pretty darn clear that most Americans want their country to be at peace, to stop being constantly at war, and with civilized social and labor standards. Sure, the hardcore libertarians still believe that laisser-faire is a great solution, even if that hands all the power to corporations and even if that leaves the individual citizen defenseless against the oligarchy. But bet you that even hardcore libertarians would prefer “statism” (as they would say) with peace than “statism” with war. Likewise, many hardcore progressives want to severely limit the freedoms of many Americans (small business entrepreneurs, gun owners), but even they would prefer peace without rules and regulations than war without rules and regulations. So I think that the possibly unifying platform could be expressed in the notion of “peace and civil rights”. That is something which the vast majority of Americans can agree upon. Even the Black Lives Matter folks should agree to that kind of “peace and civil rights platform”. That, I think, ought to be the priority of the Federal government – dismantle the war machine and dismantle the state repression machine: a full pull-out of US forces deployed worldwide combined with a full restoration of civil and human rights as they were before the 9/11 false flag. And let the States deal with all the other issues.

Alas, I am afraid that the plutocracy in power will never allow that. The way the crushed Trump in one month tells me that they will do that to anybody who is not one of their own. So while hope is always a good thing, and while I like dreaming of a better future, I am not holding my breath. I find a sudden and brutal collapse of the Anglo-Zionist Empire followed by a break-up of the USA (as described here) far more likely.

We better prepare ourselves for some very tough times ahead.

Our only consolation is that all the dramatic events taking place right now in the USA are signs of weakness. The US elites are turning on each other and while the Neocons have broken Trump, this will not stop the fratricidal war inside the US plutocracy. Look at the big picture, at how the empire is cracking at every seam and remember that all this is taking place because we are winning.

Imperialism will die, discredited and hated by all those who will have to live through the upcoming collapse of the US-based AngloZionist Empire. Hopefully this time it will be the last empire in history and mankind will have learned its lesson (it would be about time!).

The Saker

The Essential Saker II: Civilizational Choices and Geopolitics / The Russian challenge to the hegemony of the AngloZionist Empire

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469 Comments

“And what a shame for Europe: a small and poor country like Bolivia showed more dignity that the entire European continent. No wonder the Russians have no respect for the EU whatsoever.”

-At one point you are reading about stuff you dont know, and feel “this is very interesting, I am learning something new here” then you run across a sentence like the one above, displaying kindergarten level ignorance of the world, and suddenly you start to wonder if a any of the stuff you found interesting before has any connection with reality at all.

Europe is a continent, consisting of many different countries, among them Russia and Ukraine, Germany and UK, these countries have different loyalties and ideologies, such as Germany being a USA colony and Russia being the last free European conservative country left in the continent of Europe. EU is a political construct inside of Europe consisting of a few European countries, EU is blindly loyal to EU but many of its members, such as Hungary is not. And many of its members that are loyal to USA, such as Poland has no ideological connection to USA, for example one single immigrant will cause Poland to cry, while countries that are ideologically connect to USA such as UK, demands hundreds of thousands of immigrants a year. Europeans are large ethnic/racial group consisting of the peoples native to the continent of Europe, Russians are the largest European ethnic group, followed by Germans, and so on.

Italians recently have been saying they want sanctions against Russia gone…for example ,.yet G7 meeting held in guess where …Italy, on the agenda-guess what….more sanctions and punishment against Russia who is fighting Daesh, trying to preserve International Law.
Eu is spineless and blinkered, under U S control………..

Like PNAC and the Grand Chessboard, all the Zionists plans have been laid out for all to see, well in advance. Since the citizens of the US/NATO/EU did nothing, the Zionist Deep State proceeds on the premise of “silence is consent”. An acceptable legal frame, except when that “silence” from the public is because the MSM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zionism/Rothschild Incorporated, and did not report PNAC/etc. with the same vigor as “barrel bombs” or Iraqi WMD’s, if at all.

Unfortunately, it is becoming apparent this will continue until the Rothschilds and their immediate bankster/political lieutenants are liquidated. They will only change course when it is apparent they will pay the ultimate price for their treason. Treason against the entirety of humanity, not just one country. Start at the top… work down until they and their minions surrender, deciding prison is better than death. Or not… the one thing about solving such individual-based problems with guillotines or bullets… you never have the same problem twice.

Your long explanation of current reality in Europe, which seemingly contradicts Saker’s sentence you quoted, says exactly the same. There is no dignity. What you listed are excuses. None of the European countries condemned the obvious aggression on Syria in UN. Where is dignity in that? Nowhere and is it a shame. I am from EU and I find the EU’s position shameful as well.

Bolivia clearly condemned the strikes. Speaking at the emergency meeting to discuss the United States’ missile strikes against Syria on Thursday, Bolivian Ambassador to the United Nations, Sacha Llorenti, criticized the Trump’s decision to take unilateral action against Syria, which he described as being “an extremely serious violation of international law.”

Exactly rigth, well said. There is nothing to admire about EU, but plenty to despise. From its Russophobic mentality to spineless following of orders from their masters in Washington.
Not a single one of these puppets have criticised obvious crime of aggression by US against sovereign state of Syria. Not a single one. But they all bark at Russia and follow lies and spread fake news. Like a pack of hyenas.

I find your comment to be unwarrantably rude and rather disingenuous. Some people consider Russia to be a European nation; others do not. Either conclusion has rather odd implications. However, when the Saker says that Europe has not helped Russia, it is pretty obvious that he is not including Russia as part of Europe. So that point of yours is nothing more than angry nitpicking.

So what if Europe is a continent full of different peoples? How does that affect the Saker’s statement that it has utterly failed to stand up to Washington? It doesn’t.

If you want to be so rude to the Saker on his own Web site, at least wait until you have some substantive point on which to disagree with him. Although I would prefer you didn’t.

Agree, it is pretty embarrassing to see someone mix up EU and Europe, and say things like “Europeans are nothing” when Russians are Europeans, everyone in EU are Europeans and all countries in questions, from USA, to EU, to Russia are founded by European peoples.. I wouldnt be too harsh about it thought, it is a pretty common mistake.

Some of the Russian Elite think that Russians are Europeans. Believe it or not, some of the Old Guard of Shah thought that Iran is European as well. But believe me in the case of the latter that the absolute majority (bar a few Westoxificated North-Tehranis) do not consider themselves to be Europeans. I have the impression that Russians think of themselves as Russians first and foremost Eurasians. I am not an expert in Russia though.

Welcome to all new Saker posters.
The “Is Russia Europe” trope has been much debated previously on this site.
The Saker wrote a wonderful (probably too long{sarc})essay articulating HIS belief that Russia IS NOTEurope.

As a Western European, I agree with the Saker that not only the Europeans don’t DO anything in this regards but even worse, like you show here so nicely with your comment, are not even aware of the fact that they (we) ARE irrelevant in this game.
Europe has been overrun and taken by the Zio-Communist fronts of Gog and Magog since at least after WW1. The last signs of resistance died long ago and Orban or Le Pen are not changing that since these people are nowhere near being relevant in the bigger game and most likely also miss the bigger picture.
It feels sad to come from an irrelevant part of the world. Germany is definitely not the only ‘colony’ in Western Europe.

Russia is NOT, I repeat NOT, a part of “Europe”. There is no such place as “Europe”. It’s a political abstraction involving the political grouping a countries who live on the Western Spur of the Russo-Asia Land Mass.

I live here, and whenever I ask Russians “do you feel you are European” I get a fast, vehement, NO.

Trying to put Russia into “Europe” [whatever the hell that iis, the people using the term never define it], is part of the attempt to Balkanize – or Yugoslavise ] Russia, to make her easier to break into smaller bits and then conquer.

Russia is one unified country of many ethnicities, genetic groups, religious faiths, which have grown together over the last one thousand years into a unique, self identifying entity. Russia. Which is nothing to do with “Europe”.

well said Isabella – I’d agree but one thing. You’re putting too strong separation lines, like no man is an island, it’s similar for countries. EU is political construct, but Europe does exist and has some sort of identity though it is a strange mix, like multiple personality disorder. Russia’s culture and history is intertwined – Europe left its mark on Russia but Russia even more probably on Europe. Not to mention that it liberated good part of the Europe in WW2 and then what followed etc. To say the least, most wars that Russia fought were with Europe in recent history. At the moment, everyone is disillusioned as EU is a total garbage but given a bit different situation that will change. Then Orthodox Christianity (though only part of Russia’s religious spectrum but very strong one) is also something that gravitates more to the European side then on the Asian side and so on.

He is saying that Bolivia dared to call USA on its lies, but no European country has done so. So he groups the spineless European countries together as “Europe.” Similarly, it is Tulsi Gabbard vs the spineless “Congress” of USA. Cynthia McKinney and Dennis Kusinich were similar.

As for China — something from the fringe media which, unusually has some substance for once.

Remarkably, Trump said it himself. After their first round of talks before dinner on Thursday
night, the American leader told reporters: “We had a long discussion already. So far I have
gotten nothing. Absolutely nothing. But we have developed a great friendship.”

Yeah, Saker, these deep analyses of the greatest existential threat humans have posed to each other in the history of the planet – well, that’s great, but can you just make them shorter!
Like, a tweet, maybe?

I would like The Saker and his Community to comment on the following summarized analysis why the so called west is fanning the flames of takfirism especially in that part of the world:

Once takfirism eventually rules Syria, Saudi Arabia and contemporaneously Iraq to the Euphrates the purpose of installing the NATO base in Libya will become apparent. i.e. the facillitation of takhfiriism into Egypt. (note how Egypt and Russia are realising urgency for closer co-operation).

Once achieved now Israel will have causus bellum to “help” rid the world of this “menace” to the cheers of the world community. In the process Israel will be able to secure the so called “Biblical” borders of the land of Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates!

Once achieved the zionists will smell the arrival of their King to be crowned for the “Leadership” of the world in Jerusalem. Those still sitting on the fence will see with their very own eyes how Israel now has “legitimacy” owning Biblical borders and at that time after having introduced “Real” and “Honest” money. i.e. gold/silver backed currency. They will flock in the millions to the “Messiah” of the land of ZION. Little will they realise that this man is the “false messiah”.

The false messiah is orchestrating that “madness” The Saker is talking about from behind the scenes in the final parallel time and space dimension before he is able to enter our time and material space dimension at the appointed time. This madness is not thought out by humans, rather it is the satanic rituals and communication with the false messiah through which they act, seeking his favour including for example immortality. This has taken over 1400 years to reach this stage from the diametrically opposite moral and spiritual state of humanity. So it has been a slow and incrementally painful journey for mankind to drop to our present low point without us even realising.

As history cannot end without truth triumphing over falsehood (otherwise there would be no justification in the act of creation in the first place), The stage has been then set for the true MESSIAH Jesus, the Son of the Virgin Mary to return and to settle the matter once and for all.

After that there will not be any need for any more empires in history as mankind would have reached perfect harmony in tune with the rest of the universe in surrendering to the will of the Lord most high.

Great analysis and you are 100% per cent correct, China needs to start stepping up to the plate. What are they actually trying to achieve by staying silent on an extremely important matter?
Yes internally China has massive problems , but nothing compared to a thermo nuclear war between Russia and The U.S
Enough of the smiling China get serious and support Russia now!

China is playing the long game alright. China is playing Go, not chess. Chess is too messy, too unsophisticated and does not measure up to reality. The US wants chaos and Putin played into its hands. China is creating stability (and wealth) with its OBOR initiative and threatening to cut the US out of this. The US now need China to survive. That’s why Xi had Trump eating out of his hands so to speak.

Putin is not helping but instead again played into the Neocons’ hands by supplying weapons to India and Vietnam in order to ‘balance’ China. Putin is still suspicious that China is eyeing the Russian Far East to get it back and even coveting Siberia. That’s why a lot of projects with Russia are obstructed, including the much touted “Power of Siberia” gas pipeline.

As I have mentioned before, dodgy Erdogan may yet cook Putin’s goose in Syria. And it seems he may be beginning to do it.

Syria is a guerrilla meat-grinder quagmire designed for Russia and Turkey is the provider of the mud that will bog down Russia in an economically ruinous war in Syria. In fact it is he only country that can do so.

And the Neocons will leapfrog Iran and lunge direct for Russia’s throat. Not in a full frontal direct ‘love-in’ as what happened between the USSR and Nazi Germany. But with Wahhabi-radicalised jihadis in guerrilla warfare in Russia using the 21% Muslim population of Russia.

With Russia bogged down in Syria, the opening acts of this jihad are already done. Chechnya will be the handle of the Jihad knife. Then the belly of the Russian bear will be slashed open by guerrilla warfare along Southern Russia. Then the knife will be thrust Northwards up the Urals to slice the throat of Russia.

Russia cannot fight this sort of guerrilla war like it fought Nazi Germany or Napoleon. This type of guerrilla can only be won with police action backed by very competent intelligence operations, supplemented by militia and regular forces and deradicalising the local Muslim population . But the police must take the lead. And the war must be backed by a rapidly growing economy which will gradually undermine the rationale for war, even guerrilla war. Can Putin do this? If Putin cannot do this there is very little China can do to help.

And the Syria quagmire? Iran has more existential interests there. And it is going to get very very ugly and genocidal because both Sunnis and Shi’ite’s consider each other as existential threats. Putin cannot prevent this from happening and would be foolish to try. In fact its presence in Syria is being regarded by the Sunnis as taking sides with the Shi’ites against them. That’s why the Saudis are sore with Putin.

Putin should turn the tables on the Neocons in Syria by withdrawing but arming Assad, the Iranian and Iraqi Shi’ites (and the Kurds) to fight the guerrilla war there. That will bog down Erdogan and sap the US. Syria is not essential to Russia except for Russia’s economically premature claim to super power status.

And Putin should liberalise Russia fast, prime up its economy, have freedom of religion and massive immigration to shore up its population if Russia is to survive without breaking up.

Exactly Simon. Even today, Russian still has policy blocking Chinese and projects supported by Chinese into Siberia, and giving out free land of the far east, taken from China not long ago, to outsiders.

Economical development of region is obviously not as high as blocking China.

‘Putin is not helping but instead again played into the Neocons’ hands by supplying weapons to India and Vietnam in order to ‘balance’ China.’

Incorrect conclusion.

By supplying weapons to India and Vietnam Russia gains huge political capital within both countries, which Russia uses as a stability factor. While, in the case of war, Russia cannot order either country to do or not do anything, both countries understand that Russia and China have a strategic relationship and that Russia would therefore not approve of a war which weakens such an important ally.

Russia could not come in between enemies, but it can surely advice both countries through quiet diplomatic channels that Russians do not think it is a good idea to sell more weapons to a country that seeks to weaken one of its most important allies, and that therefore the political context within Russia may eventually make it more difficult to do so.

This would immediately calm things down, as India has massively invested too many resources in Russian systems to even begin to think to dismiss them out of hand, as this would cause India to lose a very important sizable technological military advantage.

Vietnam would not fare any better, while at the same time China would seek to refrain from damaging a very important Russian weapons market like India, as well as a small neighbour that happens to receive Russian Navy ships at Cam Ranh base.

Therefore, Russian weapons supply is a factor of stability for the region.

You make too erroneous assumptions regarding India and China. Russia would not come between the 2 and would not be able to influence India in any way or form.

India has huge geographic and logistics advantage over China at their common border; China would lose any serious military confrontation where the two countries meet (less than 8% of the Chinese population lives west of the heihe tengchong xian, a line that divides real China from their colonized subjugated peoples in western “China”. yet over 600 million Indians live right next to Indo-Sino border.) Only a few transport arteries supply the borderlands of China in this area. If the Chinese tried a military conflict in this region they’d lose and lose badly. And no, the Russians would not be stupid enough to say a word to the Indians about it. It is only to Russia’s benefit that any Chinese expansionist impulse on the Eurasian landmass by thick headed romanticists in the Chinese power structure gets clipped.

Back then India was led by a brown Englishman whore of the British, the usurper known as PM Nehru, a man that spent more time serving Edwina Mountbatten’s perverted sexual needs and weakening his country by taking her badly intentioned advice, then improving the condition of India.

Had China and that idiot Mao shown at little more intelligence, the Chinese should have continued to allow the Indian military deteriorate under the incompetence of Nehru and his coterie, in five more years the Indian military would been passed the point of no return. However, thanks to the 1962
defeat and humiliation of Nehru, he was forced to fire his incompetent defense minister and political ally: as a consequence, all of his incompetent miltary appointees were cashiered and the Indian military was rebuilt such that in less than 9 years they crushed the Pakistan military and dismembered the Pakistan state (removing 70% of their GDP in the process). Both Nixon and Pakistan implored China to intervene, but the Chinese were too scared (or selfish or both) to do a thing. They let their ally Pakistan twist in the wind. (caveat emptor for Russians if they think China really has their back)

In 1986, the Indians called China’s bluff and re-occupied the Hathung La ridge. The Chinese huffed and puffed and then meekly slinked away in retreat since this time they knew they’d lose. India used the opportunity to confer statehood to Arunachal Pradesh and named Tawang as an official Indian city and capital of the state. Something the Chinese had termed a “red line”, and now were forced to lose face and watch the Indians cross that red line in their face.

If in 1986 the Chinese backed down, in today’s scenario the Chinese know they will lose badly.

Of cause TYS, with 1 million youth enter job market every month, BJP/RSS government only created about 100,000 jobs the whole last year, I am sure it is great benefit to start wars with someone: Indian Muslims, untouchables, Southern states, or north east states. Adding in mob threatening foreign companies, wars in Pakistan and China India will do a great service for the world population control. Like you stated, I am sure you have every logistic needed to bring your troops up to border by cow buggies, and fight Chinese within 3 weeks so you will not run out bullets.

Good luck 3 Cents, do it fast before your 69 insurgencies turn into a full bloom civil war.

Re cow buggies, 69 insurgencies, wishing genocide on us thru wars etc and other attempts at racist or cultural insults. please get a grip on yourself, you’re having a meltdown. You are behaving exactly like an Anglozionist would when they don’t get their way.

I know this might disappoint you severely, but the BJP just won a landslide victory in India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh. The so-called untouchables voted overwhelmingly (80%) for the BJP. Sorry to burst your out of date bubble. They also won 4 out of the 5 states contested (including a landslide in Manipur a north eastern state state, ;-) sorry! ).

Thank you for your deep concern for the employment prospects of our youth we are touched by your compassion, but we’ll manage very well, thank you very much.

We outstripped China’s GDP growth with 7.5% growth against China’s 3-4%. Please focus on your own affairs in line with the 5 principles of Pancheel.

Regarding Muslims, in India we don’t force Muslim women to remove their veils nor harass Muslim men that wear long beards like your masters in China have just started doing in their latest crack down. Perhaps you should save your compassion and indignation for them. Oh, yes the BJP Won nearly all Muslim dominated districts in Uttar Pradesh. Try not to get too upset.

Your are a riot TYS aka 3 cents. Why whining while you dishing out garbage in everyone of your post.?

Mr mod, it is only fair I reply him with some well published facts from Indian newspapers.

(Removed.You are carrying the, as you said, sarcasm overboard. We need to stop it.I think this dispute,and back and forth,has gone on enough.If, when I am on duty I see any posts by TYS directed against you I will edit them and warn him.But so far on my shift I’ve only seen your posts.So I’m forced to edit your posts. The best solution is for you two to stop your arguing. Before we are forced to sent your posts for review.MOD)

clearly my posting the truth about the BJP’s recent successes has upset you. Also, similar to many Pakistanis, you don’t like being reminded at the totalitarian crack down on Muslim religious practices in China. I will not waste time supplying you news links, it isn’t necessary. The whole world knows China’s reputation when it comes to internal dissent.

It has always amazed me how Pakistanis can overlook the brutal abuses on Muslim religious freedoms in China. How can they sell out so blatantly? Well, it seems that this time China did go too far (banning female modesty covering and announcing that they will scrutinize mean with excessive beards): we finally got in Pakistan people protesting against these totally unnecessary and ineffective oppressive moves.

As far as being a savior or ideological ally, now China has even abandoned Nepal. This is predictable, because the CCP builds relationship based on pure self interest and can’t afford to waste too much money on an incompetent partner that won’t be able to deliver, in such scenarios they cut their losses quickly. It is quite admirable that they don’t indulge in a web of lies such as the West weaves when they dump a client. In this area they’re very honest and blunt.

Regarding your second posting with the useless links to the Hindustan Times and brown Englishmen publications: Is that the best you can do?

I guess you’re not aware that Kashmir is also ruled by a BJP partner that won in a fair a free election.

India is country of now 1.3 Billion people, given that, the articles you submitted are testament to the relative lack of violence in that country.

It would be too easy for me pull up the 100s of thousands of injustices in China, Pakistan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, etc. But it is unnecessary because people already know how dismal the situation is in those places. So you have proved nothing.

It is ironic that you have proven and/or agreed with some of my points namely:

-China will not overtly physical or brazen or openly intervene in the Syria conflict.

-China is focussed on its own rise and is not interested in ideologies (your own words).

-Russians are have fighting ideology and pick fights with everyone (Ok I don’t agree with this one but you did say/write it)

-You said that from a Chinese perspective, Russia can be worse than the West. Thank you! that only proves that China is capable of shifting to the West if the pot is sweetened enough or if China doesn’t like the fact that Putin will not kowtow to them. Just like when Mao made a deal with the devil (Kissinger and Nixon).

-China will only militarily intervene in its immediate neighborhood because Western intervention would threaten China directly; history implies that you are right (Vietnam war and Korean conflict). So we agree. I hope that puts to bed the naive hopes of some readers of China deploying the Liaoning aircraft carrier to Syria.

You have not exhibited one whit of gratitude for Russia defeating the Japanese in Manchuria and giving the territory back to China.

Instead, You sound very bitter and upset by the realities presented to you in the comment section. You are still whining about lost Manchu terroritories from the 18th century.

Thank you providing a stark reminder to the readers here about the true nature of the CCP Chinese mindset towards other civilizations. I call it selfish, self-centered and ungrateful, others may term it realistic, practical and lacking sentimentality. Either way, it was very helpful in dispelling the illusions that some the readers here held about the true nature of China and it’s value as an ally.

@TYS. There are several very important facts about Sino-Russian relations. JJ is right because Russia seized and held onto far more Chinese territory than the West ever did. The USSR was supposed to return Outer Manchuria to China but reneged on its promise.

And Russia often charge an arm and a leg for any ‘help’ it gave. For ‘help’ to persuade the West to withdraw for Beijing, Russia seized Outer Manchuria.

The USSR did withdraw from Manchuria after defeating the Japanese when the Jaoanese was already largely defeated in China and the Pacific, but she took away all the heavy industries – the machinery that were installed by the Japanese.

For the grudging help given to China (supply of weapons and air support) during the Korean War, the USSR took away Outer Mongolia. Russian greed (and miserliness) is one of the main reasons for the fall-out between the USSR and China.

Even now, China is helping USSR economically. E.g. USD70 billion upfront payment for oil and gas before even a single drop of oil and a single cubic meter of gas is delivered. From where else can they can this sort of money upfront? This saved the Russian economy from collapsing when Western sanctions hit.

Also China has made Russia its biggest supplier of crude oil ahead of Saudi Arabia. This further sustain the Russian economy when the price of Oil and gas plunged.

And coming back to India. I truly believe India can be a greater nation than China. Certainly it had been richer at least once before during the last two millennium. And Chinese martial arts was learnt from India.

The fight in 1962 was instigated by the CIA largely through instigating the vanity of Nehru. (In fact the CIA used vanity to create chaos in other countries (E.g. Burma, Malaysia and Indonesia). But India got its revenge in 1967 when the Chinese was decimated by Indian superior generalship and tactics. The Chinese withdraw to cut further losses

Thank you for a sane and reasoned perspective on the Chinese point of view.

I agree it would be much better for China and India to cooperate or at least cease military and proxy hostility. They should both give complimentary access to each other’s markets and synergistically grow both their economies. Given China’s economic slow down and large accumulation of capital, they need a place to invest that offers a large rate of return and at a large scale: India’s economy is taking off and the infrastructure imvestments offer a safe investment for China with higher returns than they can achieve in their own economy or in the West.

A trilateral mechanism where Russia acting as honest broker between its two allies should be instituted that benefits all three powers should be worked out. China would have to cut its links with the terrorist Salafist entity called Pakistan and Russia & India will have to forgo their military support of Vietnam (while taking care of Vietnam’s insecurities, which is in China’s best interests – only a fool underestimates the Vietnamese, the last thing we’d want is Vietnam forced into the Empire’s arms).

It would be much better to run OBOR through India and have access to 20 Indian ports rather than a single vulnerable port at Gwadior, Pakistan, which the Americans could destroy/blockade with impunity since Pakistan is inconsequential and Gwadior is not Chinese sovereign territory. The US cannot do the same to Indian ports and that leg of OBOR would be secure.

Not really, China lost badly against India in 1967 and were forced to stand down in 1986 (as I elaborated earlier)

I need to thank Simon Chow for reminding me about 1967 where China lost badly in a battle against India. How could I forget Sikkim?

The Sino-Indian War of 1967, also known as the Nathu La and Cho La incidents, (11–14 September 1967 for Nathu La; 1–10 October 1967 for Cho La) were a series of military clashes between India and China in the Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim, then an Indian protectorate. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army infiltrated parts of Sikkim[6] on 1 October 1967, but was repulsed by the Indian Army by 10 October. During the Cho La and Nathu La incidents, Indian losses were 88 killed in action and 163 wounded,[4][7] while Chinese casualties were estimated to be 340 killed in action and 450 wounded.[8][4]

The end of the conflicts saw a Chinese military withdrawal from Sikkim after being defeated by Indian forces.[1][9][10]

And to quote reader Simon Chow:
But India got its revenge in 1967 when the Chinese was decimated by Indian superior generalship and tactics. The Chinese withdraw to cut further losses.

Thanks TYS for your cordial reply. Just for the record I did not mock Russia. My exact words were “..Russia’s economically premature claim to super-power status..”.

I feel that this is just a factual statement, since super-power status has to have an economic base i.e. supported by an equally powerful economy. Russia’s claim to super-power status is based on its military. But to support such a super powerful military, Russia will have to sacrifice economically and with it the welfare and future of its people.

Like the USSR, from the economic point of view Russia is not a super power and should not act like one militarily. A military and especially a super powerful military is a very very expensive toy in terms of money and man-power. It is even more expensive if it is fighting a number of wars. Can Russia afford it and if so, for how long?

If the much bigger USSR cannot afford it, how can Russia afford it? Russia’s economy is slightly smaller than Italy’s, but its military is more than match that of NATO. And it is fighting two wars – in Ukraine and Syria. At this rate, can Russia still exist as it is in maximum of 20 years time? Your guess is as good as mine. But I doubt it.

I agree with you completely about the danger Turkey poses to Russia in Syria…

You may even be right about this being a trap that Putin walked into by making a half-hearted military commitment to Syria…and that now Drumpf decides to call the bluff by sicking Erdo on Russia exposed in Syria…

This would surely be catastrophic for Russia and Putin himself…he would have no chance to continue as leader of this great nation…

However…that is making a big leap of faith about Putin’s basic math skills and resolve…

What if VVP decides to pick up the glove that Drumpf appears to be throwing down…?

What then…?

Do you or anyone think that the Russian military is unprepared to put in place a very strong road block to any aggression on Syria…?

As I mentioned elsewhere…it would take only a couple of Iskander rocket brigades to cut Erdo’s tank army to shreds…if the move on Syria proceeds…

I also believe that Russia is now moving in real time and is ready to spring its own trap…as Professor Cohen noted on US TV today…Russia is ‘preparing for a hot war…’

The rest of your comments about the Islamic threat to Russia’s southern underbelly…the first attempt with Chechnya in the ’90s already failed badly…

No doubt West still dreams of this…but it would be a major project of 10 or 20 years at least…would take a lot of ground laying…

The idea that some kind of jihadist army is quickly going to march on Moscow is quite frankly silly…

I would say that China’s problem in Xinjiang is just as serious…if not more…how many Uighur takfiris have traveled from PRC to fight in Syria…?

Yet PRC does nothing…At least Russia has Chechen military police in Syria…and who knows what else that is operating in ‘shadows’…

Do you think those bearded Uighur fanatics are going to come back home and continue the fight in Xinjiang…with support of US…George Soros…Amnesty International…NED…etc…?

Also Tibet…?

You seem to have some blind spots when it comes to assessing geopolitical strength…

‘… Syria is not essential to Russia except for Russia’s economically premature claim to super power status…’

You sound like someone who needs a lesson in your own country’s history…

‘…In the 17th and 18th centuries, the demand for Chinese goods (particularly silk, porcelain, and tea) in the European market created a trade imbalance because the market for Western goods in China was virtually non-existent; China was largely self-sufficient and Europeans were not allowed access to China’s interior. European silver flowed into China…’

Yes the Chinese were smart to conduct trade on their terms…they told the English, French, Dutch and other colonial pirates [including America]…that if they want Chinese tea then just bring silver and trade in one place where we allow it…

Very good and wise policy…….also incidentally followed at the time by Japan and Korea…[another story]

Only problem was…you see the mighty British Empire thought it had the god-given right to rule the world…like another country today…

They did not like the fact that they could not make anything off China…and even had to buy silver from the Portuguese silver mines in Brazil…for all the tea that Englishmen wanted to drink…

So here is what happened…the Brits decided to ‘open up’ the Chinese market…[I love that phrase…how do you do that…like with a can opener…?]

You see the English had a nice little trade going in dope…opium that they were growing in plantations in India which they ruled with an iron fist…and they were making a nice business selling that to Chinese drug dealers…under the table of course…

And guess what the Chinese drug dealers were using to pay for that British dope…if you guessed silver you would be right…

‘…In 1839, the Daoguang Emperor, rejecting proposals to legalise and tax opium, appointed viceroy Lin Zexu to solve the problem by abolishing the trade. Lin confiscated around 20,000 chests of opium (approximately 1210 tons or 2.66 million pounds) without offering compensation, blockaded trade, and confined foreign merchants to their quarters.[6] The British government, although not officially denying China’s right to control imports of the drug, objected to this unexpected seizure and used its naval and gunnery power to inflict a quick and decisive defeat,[5] a tactic later referred to as gunboat diplomacy…”

Well gee…that didn’t turn out so well now did it…? China ended up having to ‘open’ its market to British dope while millions of Chines peasants destroyed themselves and their families as junkies…

After that China was basically ‘subdued’ by the colonialists pirates until they managed to get Hong Kong back a few years ago…and even now the pirates are stirring up trouble there…

Sure the Imperial Russians jumped on China too…after all Russian Czar and German Kaiser were first cousins…colonialism was a great European gravy train for the elites of the day…

Russia got China to give it the railroad concession in Manchuria [btw…not Han ethnic at that time]…and Russians built a railroad and a city [Harbin]…now a city of over 5 million people…

‘…Polish engineer Adam Szydłowski drew plans for the city [Harbin] following the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway, which the Russian Empire had financed.[9] The Russians selected Harbin as the base of their administration over this railway and the Chinese Eastern Railway Zone. The Chinese Eastern Railway extended the Trans-Siberian Railway: substantially reducing the distance from Chita to Vladivostok and also linking the new port city of Dalny (Dalian) and the Russian Naval Base Port Arthur (Lüshun)…’

I hear recently China is making good progress on its first ‘good’ jet engine for its fighter aircraft…

You may know that only a handful of nations produce ‘good’ turbojet and turbofan engines in the world today…US…Russia…UK…France…

That China may soon join this exclusive club is something to be proud of…

In 2003 China put its first man in space…

‘…In 1994, Russia sold some of its advanced aviation and space technology to the Chinese. In 1995 a deal was signed between the two countries for the transfer of Russian Soyuz spacecraft technology to China. Included in the agreement was training, provision of Soyuz capsules, life support systems, docking systems, and space suits. In 1996 two Chinese astronauts, Wu Jie and Li Qinglong, began training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia. After training, these men returned to China and proceeded to train other Chinese astronauts at sites near Beijing and Jiuquan. The hardware and information sold by the Russians led to modifications of the original Phase One spacecraft, eventually called Shenzhou, which loosely translated means “divine vessel.”…’

I can also tell you about the Chinese army more than 60 years in Korea…

‘…US Eighth Army was decisively defeated at the Battle of the Chongchon River and forced to retreat all the way back to South Korea…The defeat of the U.S. Eighth Army resulted in the longest retreat of any American military unit in history…The Chinese broke through the American defenses despite American air supremacy and the Eighth Army and U.N. forces retreated hastily to avoid encirclement. The Chinese offensive continued pressing American forces, which lost Seoul, the South Korean capital. Eighth Army’s morale and esprit de corps hit rock bottom, to where it was widely regarded as a broken, defeated rabble…

You and your other Russian compatriot did just as want you said: Belittle China. Why can’t you accept Chinese millennium old policy as principle of Chinese foreign policy and bring stability to the region? Why do you two insist on that China is greedy, only care for money, will betray Russia just because China will not follow you into your war?

Simon stated facts. One do not have to agree with all his conclusions. You two’s statements are influenced by your emotion, which is why, IMHO, Russians get into fights more offten than others. Long essay does not change the fact that you are emotional immature, can not seat down with your neighbors to find solutions that accepted for all, hence your glorious wars with your neighbors big or small for over 300 years. and you are still at it today!

Sorry brother, don’t mean to belittle Russia. Only anxious that Putin do not fall into the neocon’s traps and Russia do not fall into its own hubris.

Yes I know about the opium wars for which China paid with the blood of 100 million lives or so to opium addiction. China made two mistakes: 1) China under the sinicised Manchus stood down its armed forces, especially its artillery after the 17th Century; 2) China paid for its own hubris because it refused to open up when confronted with the Macartney expedition in 1793 including its 64-gun man of war.

Sometimes I tend to think that the opium war and the following 100 years of humiliation were necessary to ‘wake’ China up from its millennial slumber. China nearly repeated the same mistakes about its military until the 1996 altercation with the US carriers in the Taiwan Straits and the 1999 ‘mistaken’ bombing of its embassy in Belgrade woke her up from her ‘romance’ with the US since Nixon’s time.

As for US’s ‘IOUs’, I have posted earlier in this forum that China hopes to get round this by using USD to secretly hoard gold and commodities including oil, iron, copper. So when the US dollar inflates to inflate away US debts, the rockets in the price of commodities and gold will more than compensate for the loss in value of USD. The point is: while China may not be able to buy much US assets with USD, it is still able to buy a lot with USD from the rest of the world!

Yes, China seems to have a mental block about jet engines – a leftover from the centuries of rote learning since the Song Dynasty. Hopefully she can get over this and lift jet engine technology to the next level. But I don’t think China can do this without liberalising the Chinese mind.

And I don’t think I need to worry about the Uighurs. China invented guerrilla warfare (read Sun Tzu). Xingkiang will be a trap for the returning jihadis. China will control the info and narratives from Xinjiang. The jihadis will be defeated and deradicalised and the outside world would not know about it. Everything will appear normal, including the economic development, as if nothing had happened.

As for Russia, the existential threat facing her is jihadi guerrilla warfare targeting ultimately Russian man-power and economy. The Muslim 21% of its population is increasing faster than the Slavonic portion. No one can defeat Russia in a full frontal conventional military ‘love-in’ ala Nazi Germany and USSR. No one is even dreaming of marching on Moscow. But the life-blood can be drained out of Russia both physically and economically through jihadised guerrilla warfare. The Neocons knew this. That’s why they designed the ISIS virus specifically for infecting Russia. Go figure.

Yeah I’m sure the Chinese are relaxed at India receiving strategic technologies and weapons systems from Russia, that’s why they howl & threaten everytime it happens. That’s why Chinese TV channels spend 2 hours each time analyzing and explaining the latest Indian weapons systems whenever the Indians announce it being inducted into their armed forces. Nice try, but you’re poker face needs a lot of work.

It’s obvious that Russia transferring strategic technology to India and selling deadly anti-ship systems to Vietnam infuriates China’s leaders, but they dare not show it. Because Russia is the senior partner in their relationship and China is the junior partner, and the Chinese leadership knows it.

Yes TYS,
We all know how great India is, bashing China in every one of you post is approve. IMHO, Russian should double or trible the charge for anything you buy. After all, you are so superior and rich, you can afford it. Otherwise you can go beg from US or your other white masters.

(Lets curtail the insults in posts. I already sent one comment to Saker for review. If you keep it up I’ll be forced to send all of them.MOD)

You’re only proving my point, you are demonstrating to the readership here just how distorted and one sided your brand of nationalism is (supremacist?). Earlier in this thread you attacked Flankerbandit & Russia for its for it’s well founded and justified policies in Siberia and it’s Far East. Alter ego and reader Simon chow mocked Russia’s claim to super-power status (only proving my point that many in China’s political and nationalist class, arrogantly only sees China as America’s peer and Russia as a junior party).

I’m being very sincere in stating that you are doing more damage to your cause than I could ever do. I want to thank you, without any sarcasm or insult intended, for demonstrating the points I was making.

Like I said before you’re great. You hit a home run on every point. Sour grapes over Manchu held territory sounds hollow given China’s own dismal record of trying to seize territory that isn’t theirs. And you are absolutely correct economic power with serious miltary power and the ability to project to your advesary’s doorstep is just plain dumb.

I am serous you should start your own blog. You’re intelligence is exceptional, this is obvious. The organizational flow and order of your thought process as laid out here is a work of art, and rare.

Wow man! sincere respect. A testament to the magic formula of Saker’s blog that attracts such brilliant minds.

It’s a difference in philosophy: I believe once you’ve met the bare requirements of survival (ie shelter), you need to secure your home before you start to acquire further wealth. You cannot neglect your defense, especially if you can see a group of lying murdering savages burning other countries to the ground and looting them.

Both of our civilizations have been sacked by primitive savages that were organized, unified and focussed military even though they were inferior technologically and civilizationally to the people they were looting (many examples in Chinese history and at least three examples in Indian history after 200AD). This is also true of Europe (the Huns).

A strong military is not a toy it’s a necessity but it is not sufficient, you also need strong societal cohesion and a national immune system to weed out externally induced sickness (5th columns) – I don’t believe the Soviet Union collapsed solely for economic reasons, I believe it was because of demoralization (the people had long stopped believing in their system) and the western alliance’s intelligence and propaganda machine gave the soviet system the final push over the cliff.

China was communist, economically far weaker than the Soviet Union, they were even poorer than India, but they didn’t collapse or fall for the lie that the West was their friend and only wanted peace prosperity and freedom for the masses oppressed by communism. That’s because China had internal cohesion.

Compare the fate of Libya (which stupidily allowed itself to be disarmed in return for economic gain) to the fate of North Korea. Compare that idiot Saddam Hussein’s Iraq defanging his arsenal like a fool to the fate of Iran and their wise & cunning policy of Investing in hezbollah and in investing in 100s of thousands of cheap katushya rockets as an unconventional deterrent.

The truth is Russia is a Superpower (even now the crybabies in Western think tanks and media grudgingly admit it: “Russia is a military superpower”) and neither China nor India are. Nor will we be until we achieve full military power projection capabilities. We are both at the stage of having secured or homelands which we have both done. The second stage is to secure our regional backyards (which Russia has done). The final stage is to acquire full power projection capabilities (again Russia already has this) both countries (India & China) are working on this but we are not even close to where we need to be (although China is at least a decade ahead of India in this area).

If you have time read my earlier response to you regarding how China and India ought work together.

Yeah, China and India should work together. They are so complementary. E.g. Software prowess of India complemented by hardware of China etc.

I appreciate your emphasis on military power as a priority due to lessons from the past. However, where is the limit? If we project military power beyond our needs for defence, it will trigger an arms race.

This is the paradox that Kissinger cited in today’s context i.e. too much security will result in insecurity.

And with all those ‘toys’ around, sooner or later some madmen in power (like Trump seems to be) will miscalculate and use them. If nations concentrate on economic development, maybe there are some acceptable answers.

Economics backed up by enough military power can also protect. Too much military power can become a slave-master like how the US is now enslaved by its military-industrial-complex.

That’s why the Qing dynasty stood down its military after pacifying all the territories which it considered as its own after 1700. It kept enough forces to ensure protection but failed to realise that the industrial revolution in the West had made its military technology obsolete by the end of the eighteenth century.

The key lesson to learn is not to close off to the world – something that Trump may be trying to do to America.

I think India and China need to do something like what Mao did with Nixon in the Shanghai Communique of 1972 i.e. acknowledge our differences, even disagreement and stress the areas of agreement. This way the two countries can move forward without being tied down by the emotional baggage of the past. When Mao and Nixon did that, it was barely 19 years after the very bloody Korean War in 1953.

I am certain India and China can do something like that sooner or later.

And TYS. We Chinese have very sobering lessons from our own history on the limitations of purely military power to secure the longevity of our nation.

The Qin dynasty was a state configured to sustain military power. It even copied Alexander the Great’s phalanx corp as the center battering ram of the army. Its archery and metallurgy were ahead of its times.

Also its standardisation of weapon production. It completed the unification of China in 221 BC. But the Qin dynasty fell in 207 BC i.e. barely five years after the death of its First Emperor in 211 BC.

The militarily exhausted Qin state itself was erased and confined to the dustbin of history. So military power alone did not save the Qin from oblivion.

It was economic development combined with social justice stemming from a competent and benevolent government that from the bedrock of survival of the nation. The next dynasty, the Han, learnt from this and lasted for more than 400 years.

The nations of today, except for India and China, were not around in its original civilisational/cultural form one thousand years ago. We have many examples from history that states that relied solely on military power will not develop the internal cohesion to withstand the test of time. Examples are Sparta, Assyria, Babylonian empire, the Medo-Persian empire, Prussia, the Mongol empire, the Ottoman empire, the Napoleonic empire and arguably even the original Muslim empire (destroyed by the Mongols). It is quite probable that many powerful nations in existence today are unlikely to be around in 50 to 100 years time.

So military power is essential but have limits beyond which it becomes a fatal parasite feeding off the country. But what and where are the limits? That is the question.

May God bless all the nations of this world and give them wisdom to know this.

@Фланкербандит. The old USSR died with its dead hands grasping uselessly its Samat 1 MRIVs with 10 warheads. The old USSR was defeated economically, not militarily. I really don’t want to see the same happening to Russia grasping its Samat II with its 40 warheads with economically dead hands. The use of imageries is for emphasis, not to insult. So Putin’s startegy should have economics at its core, especially now with the Neocons squeezing it economically and the EU countries tagging along greedily eyeing lebenstraum at Russia’s expense.

And Фланкербандит. Thank you for your well-researched reply. Appreciate that. One thing I like to add is that Chinese like me do not appreciate much about past success. It is something to be inspired about and learn. But certainly not to be hubristic about. As the US military so wisely said in the training of their officers: “Failure is a greater teacher than success”.

‘…As the US military so wisely said in the training of their officers: “Failure is a greater teacher than success”…’

And those same officers when they are sent to bury some third-world city under depleted uranium dust are under instruction from their superiors that they may freely kill anything that moves…preferably in the most barbaric way possible…

Yeah…the US is world-champion in trumpeting high-sounding principles…while its street-level reality is medieval fiendishness and cruelty…

Every day that is proved fact…

What happened yesterday with that Vietnamese-American doctor who was brutalized on that United Airlines flight…?…[UAL overbooked and then demanded paying passengers get off so UAL employees could take their seats…called ‘deadheading’ in the industry…whereby the airlines fly their flight crews around in the cabin section of commercial flights as needed…]

What class…

No need to even mention the more than 1,000 extra-judicial executions by police of civilians in US streets in 2016…and similar in previous years…probably more than legal executions in China [after court and due process]…a country with five times as many people…[how many Chinese civilians are gunned down in the street by Chinese cops…I would guess it’s pretty rare…]

Or even mention highest prison population in world…almost exclusively visible minorities or poor white folks…and in private for-profit prisons no less…really who could think of such a thing…?

The Anglos certainly have a huge talent for creating fine pieces of paper…like the US constitution…that are so lofty-sounding as to make one teary-eyed…and then put those pieces of paper in a glass case in a museum and never think of them again…

Same thing in international affairs…how many ‘humanitarian’ bombings have we witnessed from the US and its likewise high-sounding European puppets…?

How many ‘beautiful little babies’ lives have been snuffed out by US bombs in Belgrade…?…Libya…Falluja…Vietnam…Laos…Korea…we could go on and on…the list is very long…?

In biblical terms this high-sounding rhetoric accompanied by the lowest and unrestrained evil behavior imaginable…would be called hypocrisy…

Ok…so now to the discussion at hand…and that is the real dilemma facing the major Asian power trio of China, India and Russia…

If I talk to any Indian about the progress that is made in bringing this bloc together…they will immediately jump in and rail against China and the territorial disputes involved in that…

I hear a similar theme here from the Chines side…they are aggrieved that RF is giving advanced arms to India…

At bottom…we see a typically human behavior…we tend to let little squabbles get in the way of more important directions of mutual interest…more on that in a bit…

The Brics is nothing and will remain nothing…and will never challenge the Bretton Woods system of world slavery until this trio gets their act together and start getting down to business for real…

There is lots of blame to go around for each member of this triad…Russia…India…China…

Let’s begin with first principles…as I tried to show in my previous post…the history of imperial aggression for several centuries is highly instructive…even great historic powers like India and China can be brought to their knees if they do not have the military strength to fight back…

Security in armed strength should always be a nation’s first and overarching priority…

Let’s start with antiquity…

Alexander The Great conquered all of the known world in the fourth century BC…Europe…the Middle East and North Africa…all of Central Asia…and even a victory over the Punjab…but was finally stopped at the Indus river…

It is instructive to look at this history…

Alexander engaged King Porus, the ruler of the Punjab in battle…

‘…Porus fought against Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes, thought to be fought at the site of modern-day Mong, Punjab. Alexander was however greatly impressed by his adversary and not only reinstated him as a satrap of his own kingdom but also granted him dominion over lands to the south-east extending until the Hyphasis (Beas)…’

However…great riches lay on the other side of the Indus…tempting the Macedonian conqueror greatly…

‘…East of Porus’s kingdom, near the Ganges River (the Hellenic version of the Indian name Ganga), was the powerful Nanda Empire of Magadha and Gangaridai Empire of Bengal. Fearing the prospects of facing other powerful Indian armies and exhausted by years of campaigning, his army mutinied at the Hyphasis River (the modern Beas River) refusing to march further east…’

‘…As for the Macedonians… their struggle with Porus blunted their courage and stayed their further advance into India. [Alexander’s troops] violently opposed Alexander when he insisted on crossing the river Ganges also, the width of which, as they learned, was thirty-two furlongs, its depth a hundred fathoms, while its banks on the further side were covered with multitudes of men-at-arms and horsemen and elephants. For they were told that the kings of the Ganderites and Praesii were awaiting them with eighty thousand horsemen, two hundred thousand footmen, eight thousand chariots, and six thousand fighting elephants…

Note what I have emphasized…the War Elephant was the ICBM of antiquity…

Picture for a moment an infantry and cavalry of the time…they would have good weapons and armor…although lacking the stirrup for heavy cavalry [invented by the Chinese in the fourth century AD]…

Now imagine this army facing a charge of even several hundred war elephants… whose mass is about 10 to 20 times that of a horse…its momentum [mass x velocity] when hitting that line of infantry or cavalry would unstoppable…

All of these illustrations were created much later of course…and I doubt that they begin to convey the psychological impact that the defending army might have experienced at the sight of several hundred 10 foot tall and six-ton elephants bearing down at 25 mph…the earth beneath their feet literally shaking…

Porus’ elephant army was actually quite small…a few hundred…now the guy with the big guns is described here…

‘…In 305 BCE, Indian Emperor Chandragupta Maurya of the Maurya Empire led a series of campaigns to retake the satrapies left behind by Alexander the Great when he returned westwards. Seleucus I Nicator fought to defend these territories, but both sides made peace in 303 BCE. The treaty ended the Seleucid–Mauryan war and allowed Chandragupta control of the regions he was warring for while Seleucus was given 500 highly valued war elephants in exchange…’

Note in the right hand side summary box of opposing armies that Maurya had 600,000 infantry…30,000 cavalry…and 9,000 war elephants…

Note also that the Mauryan empire was huge in both territory and population…50 to 60 million people…spanning nearly the whole Indian subcontinent…

Now it would not be for another 2,000 years before the British overran the mighty Indian subcontinent and placed them into slavery…

How did that come about…?

‘…In 1498, a Portuguese fleet under Vasco da Gama successfully discovered a new sea route from Europe to India, which paved the way for direct Indo-European commerce. The Portuguese soon set up trading posts in Goa, Daman, Diu and Bombay. Goa became the main Portuguese base until it was annexed by India in 1961…The next to arrive were the Dutch, with their main base in Ceylon. They established ports in Malabar. However, their expansion into India was halted, after their defeat in the Battle of Colachel by the Kingdom of Travancore, during the Travancore-Dutch War. The Dutch never recovered from the defeat and no longer posed a large colonial threat to India…’

So we see that it all starts innocently enough…with good old commerce…[note also when the Indians finally got back their last territory from the Portuguese…nearly 500 years later…]

Of course ‘commerce’ quickly becomes a game of who can get the better of the other guy…should anyone be surprised…?

Of course you will never find mention of this basic bit of human knowledge… in the glossy pages of Fortune magazine…or coming out of the robotic mouths of all the glitzy ‘news’ anchors in the ‘financial media…’

But back to the story…

‘…In 1617 the British East India Company was given permission by Mughal Emperor Jahangir to trade in India…Gradually their increasing influence led the de jure Mughal emperor Farrukh Siyar to grant them dastaks or permits for duty-free trade in Bengal in 1717.

Hey…’duty free trade’… the greatest thing since sliced bread right…?

This is what is drummed into the heads of the sheeple 24/7…not coincidentally by an army of Bernays automatons who have been carefully trained to eliminate from their shriveled brains any natural human instinct to think for one’s self…

Of course things quickly go downhill for India from here…

‘…The East India Company monopolised the trade of Bengal. They introduced a land taxation system called the Permanent Settlement which introduced a feudal-like structure in Bengal, often with zamindars set in place…As a result of the three Carnatic Wars, the British East India Company gained exclusive control over the entire Carnatic region of India…The Company soon expanded its territories around its bases in Bombay and Madras; the Anglo-Mysore Wars (1766–1799) and later the Anglo-Maratha Wars (1772–1818) led to control of the vast regions of India…’

Poor India…of course they liked being able to ‘trade’ their fine spices, textiles etc…to their new-found European trading ‘partners…’

Only thing is…unlike in Maurya’s time…they no longer possessed the ICBM of the day that would backstop that innocent ‘trade’ with the power to crush any monkey business that naturally arises from good old trade…’

The ICBM of that era was the big cannon and the Ship of the Line…which carried about 100 of them…and could level any city from what we now call ‘standoff’ range…

China was actually much more careful than India when it came to ‘trade’…

As noted previously…this business was tightly controlled…Simon mentioned the Macartney Embassy…which he regards as a lost opportunity for both sides…let’s examine that…

‘…Foreign maritime trade in China was regulated through the Canton System, which emerged gradually through a series of imperial edicts in the 17th and 18th centuries. This system channeled formal trade through the Cohong, a guild of thirteen trading companies (known in Cantonese as “hong”) selected by the imperial government. In 1725, the Yongzheng Emperor gave the Cohong legal responsibility over commerce in Guangzhou. By the 18th century, Guangzhou, known as Canton to British merchants at the time, had become the most active port in the China trade, thanks partly to its convenient access to the Pearl River Delta…In 1757, the Qianlong Emperor confined all foreign maritime trade to Guangzhou… Qianlong, who ruled the Qing dynasty at its zenith, was wary of the transformations of Chinese society that might result from unrestricted foreign access… Chinese subjects were not permitted to teach the Chinese language to foreigners, and European traders were forbidden to bring women into China…’

Well…a grand lesson in basic smarts for any human today…clearly China was showing itself to be the mature civilization that it had been already for at least a thousand years…

Our story continues…

‘…By the late 18th century, British traders felt confined by the Canton System and, in an attempt to gain greater trade rights, they lobbied for an embassy to go before the emperor and request changes to the current arrangements. The need for an embassy was partly due to the growing trade imbalance between China and Great Britain, driven largely by the British demand for tea, as well as other Chinese products like porcelain and silk. The East India Company, whose trade monopoly in the East encompassed the tea trade, was obliged by the Qing government to pay for Chinese tea with silver. To address the trade deficit, efforts were made to find British products that could be sold to the Chinese…’

Does any of this vaguely ring a bell…?…in the context of Drumpf…Maga [BS]…and China ‘raping’ America…

‘…At the time of Macartney’s mission to China, the East India Company was beginning to grow opium in India to sell in China. The Company made a concerted effort starting in the 1780s to finance the tea trade with opium.[3] Macartney, who had served in India as Governor of Madras (present-day Chennai), was ambivalent about selling the drug to the Chinese, preferring to substitute “rice or any better production in its place”…

There you go…the magic formula…trade based on mutual benefit and respect of the other’s culture and other practical concerns…

I will not comment here on the possible parallels between the East India Company dope trade and the current CIA [the ‘company’] dope trade in Afghanistan and South America…

So why did this grand plan fail…?…let us never underestimate the role of minor details…such as protocol…in human affairs…

For the Chinese…it was customary for any person granted an audience with the Emperor…and also when receiving imperial edicts from his messengers to show respect by means of the ‘kowtow’…a deep respectful bow…which the British refused ever since they came to ‘trade’ in China…

‘…For Macartney, one sticking point was the relative status of the two sovereigns, George III and Qianlong. Macartney believed that Britain was now the most powerful nation on Earth.… However, as a diplomat, he had decided that whatever ceremony he participated in must present the two monarchs as equals…’

Long story short…Macartney was instructed by his superior Dundas to be sure to follow any required protocol…’and not to let any “trifling punctilio” get in the way of the mission….”

ie…British powers that be couldn’t care less about the details of the required protocols or any humiliation that their underlings might suffer…the prize was the money that would come with a trade pact…

Unfortunately…Macartney…ever the proud little tin soldier… didn’t see it this way…and refused the ceremonial kowtow…

There followed a long series of negotiations on the point…with the Chinese offering a pass on the obligatory nine kotwows…and assenting to only a single one…Macartney requested in turn a similar kowtow from the Chinese to a portrait of the British King…etc…

Here is what the Emperor said about all this…

‘…Our Celestial Empire possesses all things in prolific abundance and lacks no product within its borders. There is therefore no need to import the manufactures of outside barbarians in exchange for our own produce…Qianlong Emperor, Second Edict to King George III of England, 1792…’

Unfortunately…that statement of hubris was not able to be backed up with the military strength required to assert it…

So what happened after that…?

Well…a full four decades would pass after the Macartney embassy…until the Chinese were finally brought to heel in the First Opium War…

‘…British military superiority drew heavily on newly applied technology. British warships wrought havoc on coastal towns; the steam ship Nemesis was able to move against the winds and tides and support a gun platform with very heavy guns and congreve rockets. In addition, the British troops were the first to be armed with modern rifles, which fired more rapidly and with greater accuracy than matchlock muskets and artillery wielded by Manchu Bannermen and Han Green Standard Army troops, though Chinese cannons had been in use since previous dynasties…’

Note the emphasis on ‘newly applied’ technology…including the steampship and rifle…

So we see that the British…while unsatisfied with the terms of trade for many years…decided not to risk a war until they were sure that they could win it easily…and with minimal losses…

This is a point worth noting in today’s geopolitics…we see here a straight historical line right from Alexander to the British Empire…the Greek found it futile to tangle with the war elephants of India…The British likewise accepted a slap in the face from the Chinese in the 18’th century because they did not yet have the convincing upper hand…

That would have to wait for the next century and the steamship and rifle…

Similarly today…the Alexander of today…ie the exceptionally immoral empire…is not going to mess with any country that can actually fight back…

That is the lesson of history for you…Alexander and his descendants gave up when faced with 9,000 war elephants…the British gave up…temporarily…when faced with a Qing dynasty…that although not quite possessing ships of the line…was still too tough to crack without getting badly hurt or even mauled…

So what did the British do…?…they bid their time…as I mentioned previously…time is an important dimension…it gives one the means to prepare and hopefully advance in military might and warfare technology…

That’s what happened by the 1840s when the British decided to crack open China…even then…with the steamship and the rifle…up against Chinese cannon and muskets…victory was not effortless…

‘…A British officer said of the opposing Qing forces, “The Chinese are robust muscular fellows, and no cowards; the Tartars [i.e. Manchus] desperate; but neither are well commanded nor acquainted with European warfare. Having had, however, experience of three of them, I am inclined to suppose that a Tartar bullet is not a whit softer than a French one.”…’

So China was finally subdued…although never enslaved like poor India…

Before we leave this historical period and come back to the present…let us just recall briefly who did what to whom…we move now to the Second Opium war…1856 to 1860…

‘…France joined the British action against China, prompted by complaints from their envoy, Baron Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros, over the execution of a French missionary, Father Auguste Chapdelaine, by Chinese local authorities in Guangxi province, which at that time was not open to foreigners…’

‘…The United States and Russia sent envoys to Hong Kong to offer help to the British and French, though in the end Russia sent no military aid.[citation needed]…’

[thanks wikitrolls on that convenient ‘citation needed’…]

And what about the ‘exceptional’ nation…well…they did send military force into theater…

‘…The Battle of the Barrier Forts (also known as the Battle of the Pearl River Forts) was fought between American and Chinese forces in the Pearl River, Guangdong, China in November 1856 during the Second Opium War. The United States Navy launched an amphibious assault against a series of four forts known as the Barrier Forts forts near the city of Canton (modern-day Guangzhou)…It was considered an important battle by the British whose interest lay in capturing Canton…’

‘…“the cause is the kowtow – the arrogant and insupportable pretensions of China that she will hold commercial intercourse with the rest of mankind not upon terms of equal reciprocity, but upon the insulting and degrading forms of the relations between lord and vassal…”

I will let readers make their own conclusions about the sixth US president’s rhetoric and how it compares to what we are hearing these days…[it seems that the Leopard never does change its spots…]

So let’s zip right back to today’s geopolitical situation…

Poor India is buying nuclear subs from Russia…advanced jets and even the right to license manufacture said jets and their engines in India…and at the same time exploring the possibility of playing both sides off the other…ie now buying French Rafale jets…

Btw…here’s a Rafale flight test by Peter Collins for those who are interested in reading something actually knowledgeable…

India has a large population with a growing middle class…like China they have focused on manufacturing…as well as developing technologies like software…where they have made a good footprint…

They are buying their military tech mostly from Russia…but have developed their own nuclear bomb and the rocket to launch it…that is certainly sufficient to deter anyone who might decide to resort to the diplomatic shove…not that many would anyway…Pakistan and possibly China…although the latter is a remote possibility…

China has created a very powerful manufacturing base…and is rapidly advancing into more advanced technical capabilities…the foundation for this is the Chinese important emphasis on educational and scientific infrastructure…

This latter is of utmost importance…as we see from history…any nation’s military strength comes from its own ingenuity and technical advances…

But this intellectual infrastructure doesn’t develop overnight…institutional history is not built in a day or a year or even a decade…it is closely intertwined with cultural and political aspects of a society as it develops…

The leading technological powers of today have military strength because they have built this infrastructure starting in the 17’th century…from the time of Newton…

In Russia…modern science began in 1724…nearly 300 years ago…

‘…The Emperor Peter the Great, inspired and advised by Gottfried Leibniz, founded the Academy in Saint Petersburg…Foreign scholars invited to work at the academy included the mathematicians Leonhard Euler (1707-1783)…Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782)…and English Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne…

Just to name a few…

Leibniz…a German of ethnic Sorb background…is credited with inventing calculus…the foundation of modern engineering and physics…[along with Newton…both discovered various aspects of calculus independently…]

Maskelyne, an English atronomer, found a practical method of navigation by lunar distances…using a sextant and lunar almanac…a hugely important technology that allowed navigators to determine their longitude…[seems simple today…but not then]…a hero to all navigators…

Later would come many others…Mendeleev…who created the periodic table of elements…and Nikolai Zhukovsky…founding father of modern aerodynamics and hydrodynamics…

[Russia’s city of Zhukovsky…home to the Central Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics Institute… can rightly be described as the greatest concentration of aeronautical intellect in a single place on earth…]

‘…Prof Nikolay Yegorovich Zhukovsky (Russian: Никола́й Его́рович Жуко́вский; January 17 [O.S. January 5] 1847 – March 17, 1921) was a Russian scientist, mathematician and engineer, and a founding father of modern aero- and hydrodynamics. Whereas contemporary scientists scoffed at the idea of human flight, Zhukovsky was the first to undertake the study of airflow. He is often called the Father of Russian Aviation…’

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky pioneer of astronautic theory…the Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation is part of astronautics 101 in every textbook…[of course US texts these days tend to leave out the name of the guy who invented it…calling it simply ‘the rocket equation’…talk about class…]

‘…Along with the French Robert Esnault-Pelterie, the German Hermann Oberth and the American Robert H. Goddard, [Tsiolkovsky] is considered to be one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics… His works later inspired leading Soviet rocket engineers such as Sergei Korolev and Valentin Glushko and contributed to the success of the Soviet space program…’

So that brings us to today…we now have a kind of balance of power because nobody is going to go against a guy who has an ICBM…I would say that even if North Korea is able to take out a couple of US carriers…the US will never dare to attack…

Clearly no nuclear exchange is going to happen in the foreseeable future…I think Alexander the Great would agree…and so would Maurya…

So we now have a waiting game…the fall of the Soviet Union did not automatically allow the evil empire to just take over the globe…first the low hanging fruit was picked off…Yugoslavia…Iraq…Libya…and Syria [still in progress]…

The Western empire is calculating that its scientists are going to be the ones who come up with the next big game-changer…that could well be hypersonic air-breathing aircraft…quantum radar…etc…

However…the US is letting its educational-scientific infrastructure go to pot…young people are being told to not even bother getting a college diploma…not worth it…just go straight into debt peonage without passing GO…

Does the scientist sweating away in the lab perhaps notice the extravagant luxury of the billionaire robber baron and bankster in his gold-plated private jet and yacht…?

Does he maybe resent the fact that he gets no respect…is nickel and dimed by the banksters like the rest of us…and probably often wondering how to put a decent plate of food on the table for his kids…?

Does he maybe look at the talking idiot-heads on TV who are making 50 times what he makes…and maybe wonder…’why the heck should I bust my hump for that clown in the corner office who is doling out chump change like a tightwad on steroids…?

Folks…I don’t think this is the recipe for success in science and technology…

By comparison…Russia has never diminished its efforts to grow its educational and scientific infrastructure…

The Russian Academy of Sciences currently encompasses 650 institutions and 55,000 scientific researchers…where is the US equivalent…?

Oh yeah…I forgot…it’s all private sector… since we all know that the private sector is always best…hence our private hospitals, private prisons, even private armies…ie Blackwater…

So where does that leave us on the question of how to move forward in Asia…?

Is there a chance for India and China and Russia to start cooperating in a deeper and more meaningful way…and give the Brics some teeth…?

Well China surely has the commercial infrastructure well in place and the money that comes with that…more important…she is serious about the scientific infrastructure and is educating an army of young engineers and scientists…it will not be long before the country starts making a real mark in innovation…

Russia has managed to preserve its crown jewels…the scientific and educational infrastructure…and most of the powerful military-industrial sector…the country is well-educated and moving in the right direction…

It does not have control of its finances…the central bank is still under the thumb of the Bretton Woods system [what some might call the Rothschild system]…but then so is China…India even more so…

So the real question becomes what has actually changed since the British subjugation of India and China in the 18’th and 19’th centuries…?

Well…for one thing…we now have the scion of the British Empire…even stronger than Britain ever was [Britain still had to compete with the other colonial pirates…France…US…even Russia…and later Japan…]

US today doesn’t have to compete with anybody…the former Great Powers are now only satrapies…they have nominal independence and they get their little bag of coin…and that’s it…

China is today trading with the US and the rest of the world on conditions far less favorable than during the Qing dynasty…there can be no question about that…

I don’t care what argument anyone is going to give…but the fact is that until China can trade in real money then it is basically sustaining the US …like the host sustains the parasite…

India even more so…but India has had a lot deeper hole to climb out of…it was actually an enslaved nation for 200 years…

So the big question…?

Why don’t China, Russia and India team up and establish a post-Bretton Woods world financial order…?

I will leave that question open as a challenge…since I do not have the answer…

Thanks for the well researched post. I appreciate such a frank view of Chinese history. Asians sometimes squabble over ‘face’ while forgetting the larger picture like what India and China are doing. I am glad Russia and China have largely put aside their reservations to cooperate and fight back-to-back for their survival. I for one have put aside any emotional hold that loss of outer Manchuria may have on me. It may take sometime for others but they, I think will set that aside for the larger good. The Chinese have a deal with the USSR under Gorbachev to settle the boundary along the Ussuri River. And Xi himself said in Moscow that China had forever let go the territories lost in 1860. So that’s it. And congratulations for the preservation of Russian science and technology. After the USSR collapse, the Russian nuclear weapons were the only deterrent against the US taking over the entire world. That’s why China and Russia quickly formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 1993. They saw the writing on the wall, i.e. where the US is heading.

Simon, IMHO, some day, when world is prospers, the regions is peaceful, or people are trustful, and prospers, the borders will be random lines on earth.

Chinese will thinking about the lost territories for a long time, but in history, China expands, and wanes, it is natural. In some Dynasties Chinese was well in to central Asia. Today, we read from history book, know Li Bei was born in Central Asia, and there is not much feel toward those land except the romantic view of the Silk Road.

Five years ago, Saker wrote about how superior Russian Army was, and talk about it could easily occupy China. Today, or a few month ago, Saker wrote about Russia as Asian country and relationship with China. It is only 5 year. Give it another 5, or 10, or 50, 100 years, by then, we will only remember how much good time we have when we live in harmony, all those old animosity will be some thing we only reading about in history book. all we need is time and learning the right lesson from history.

By the way, People inside China very strongly support Russia and Putin.

J, it is painful to lose more than 20% of one’s country’s land. Including Outer Mongolia and Southern Tibet, it could be more. China was and is a pacifist nation. She made the mistake of being too pacific by standing down its navy (Ming Dynasty) and armed forces including its world class artillery (Qing Dynasty in the seventeenth century) to rely totally on diplomacy to deal with the barbarians. It was not in our culture to use gun-boat diplomacy on others. But not the barbarians. We were over confident. We have only ourselves to blame for making those mistakes. And for weakening ourselves by our own hubris in deluding ourselves that Chinese civilisation had nothing more to learn, especially from the barbarians.

We were also too trusting of outsiders thinking that we can make them to be like us. We think that they will also keep their words like us and would not betray our friends. Therefore we made a treaty with Russia, treating them, for the first time in our history, as equals even though they were encroaching on our lands and we could wiped them out at Nerchinsk in 1689 after expelling them from the Amur valley. We even choose to give up a lot of our land, including Siberia and the Lake Baikal region for the sake of peace. We did not think that the barbarians greed would be insatiable, that they would be like us, knowing what belons to us and when to stop.

We even allow trade with our new-found ‘friends’, (something not allowed for other barbarians, enriching them with silver for the furs that they trapped in the new lands that we gave up to them. With the silver, they were able to prosper without depending on Europe for trade, increase their population, financed their scientific revolution, build up their armies, copied and improved on our artillery and resisted and survived Napoleon a century later.

In 1996, They humiliate us by sailing their carriers through the Taiwan Straits. In 1999, the Chinese embassy was callously bombed on the pretext of a ‘mistake’ at a time when it was full of Chinese embassy staff and other civilians taking shelter from the Nato bombing of Serbia. Clinton very likely took vengeance for Chinese supporting the Serbs and causing the shoot-down of the US ‘stealth’ bomber. In 2006, President Hu Jin Tao was yanked by his sleeves by the US President. But thise days are long gone. We have learnt (I hope) from our mistakes.

The Saker, like everyone else, has to adapt to realities to survive. Even Russia can’t live isolated in their nuclear armed fortress of 6.6 million square miles. Like the Chinese, if they don’t/can’t develop those lands, they would have to share it. After all it is highly immoral for a shrinking population of 143 million to grab 6.6 million square miles of land. Sometimes I think Russia is like a python which had swallowed an elephant, cant’s move/function and is about to burst!

But China has more than enough land even for a population of 1.4 million. With technology,Tibet, Xinjiang and all its western provinces will be developed. We have enough in our hands to worry about grabbing more lands.

But China is concerned about unstable borders. That includes the borders with Russia if Russia implodes due to mistakes ala the USSR. That’s why China struck a deal with Gorbachev on their borders – so that China would have stable borders in order to develop. That was also why China built the Great Wall.

Yes, Simon. Lake Beihai, where SuWu herded sheep, CuYeDao, and other northern territories are not going to be easily forget by Chinese.

Today, The two country who had swallowed Chinese land are still extremely defensive in dealing with China.

Before thediplomat was put behind a pay wall, there was a comments on a decade old article about Chinese invasion of Siberia. The comment was by someone who married to a Russian women, and about how much Russians hate Chinese when he learned from visiting his inlaws in Siberia. His inlaw’s brag about how they treat Chinese when they were caught, Tie them up and threw into Amur River.

Even as friendly as we are today, you still hear them cancel projects because they are afraid of attracting too many Chinese traders to Siberia border. They also still have policy aim at blocking Chinese specifically from entering the region while giving out free land to attract white Europeans.

I am not sure how long of this blocking and cleansing policy will work, I do feel sorry for them to spend most of their talent and energy protect the big piece of land, and have to stare down all those original owners who want them back. IMHO, Had Russia stay in Europe, within their borders, they’d be able to concentrate on development instead of spending that development money on defense.

Chinese government has correct her errors quickly in developing a strong economy and strong army. Mao and the current government learned a correct lesson from history.

The action taking after Mekong River massacre signals that the day of mistreating Chinese is over. The China now will not let go one dot of over territory, if history is a guide, for at least two hundred years.

If anyone want start a war with China, Chinese should give them salute of canon fire for their application of Chinese citizenship.

Yeah, the Russian hubris and violent mindset are working to their disadvantage. That’s why Europe still fears the Russian bear. Whatever one may say about who is right or wrong in Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and virtual annexation of the Donbass region of Ukraine had aroused once more the fear of the very violent Russian Bear gobbling up territory.

Now fear is a very irrational thing and the end results are often violence and war. We see Xi smooching up with Trump and it was allowed by the American people. If Trump were to do the same with Putin, Trump would be impeached.

So what’s wrong with Russia and what can Putin do about this especially in the Ukraine?

1) Russia would have to concentrate more on economic development and comply with the conditions for this.

2) She should use diplomacy at the center of its strategy in dealing with international problems. It should not give the impression that they are like the American cowboys drawing their guns to settle problems as a default reaction.

3) Hide its military prowess. Nobody like talking to a person armed to the teeth.

4) Negotiate to have the Crimea and the Donbass to be a neutral buffer zone. Create a neutral independent state if need be.

5) In Syria, recognise that it is a quagmire and slowly reduce involvement – maybe fortify its area of Latakia where Russia has her port and airbase.

6) Recognise the coming genocidal bloodbath between the Sunnis and the Shi’ites that will engulf not only Syria but also the middle-East and don’t get involved. And

“She / Russia / should use diplomacy at the center of her strategy in dealing with international problems. She should not give the impression that she is like the American cowboys drawing their guns to settle problems as a default reaction.”

The funny thing about this preposterous submission of Simon Chow’s is that it isn’t Russia’s actions but the Zionazi perceptions and propaganda about Russia and her international obligations that he’s regurgitating verbatim. Russia is using diplomacy as the center of its strategy which, understandably, must be quite, well, ‘demanding’ of Russia’s diplomats given the Western subhuman garbage they have to keep trying to negotiate with.

Contrary to Simon Chow, I strongly feel Russia should go on an anti-Western rampage. It is long overdue already.

@Фланкербандит. US-NATO tactics for aggression in Syria won’t be full frontal aggression like between Nazi Germany and USSR.

It will be in the form of a meat-grinder jihadised guerrilla warfare made more violent by the Sunni-Shi’ite divide that has its major fault-line running from Iraq into Syria.

The Neocons will spread (using the allegation that Russia is siding with the Shi’ites against rhe Sunnis) it into Chechnya (the recent suicide bombing in Chechnya is just a starter), southern Russia (bordering Muslim Central Asia) and up the Muslim populated Urals (perfect guerrilla warfare country).

The only way Putin can save Russia is to have a rapidly growing economy which will both finance the war against the jihadiised guerrilas and undermine their support for war.

And its a no brainer as to what are the pre-requisites for a growing economy in Russia.

@Nussiminen. Yeah but the “Zionazi” have succeeded in defining Russia nowadays. I use the word “impression”, which means perception, not what I myself necessarily believe.

Going on an anti-Western “rampage” will confirm their propaganda.

Besides Russia, even without using nuclear weapons, cannot sustain a conventional war for long, especially if it morph into a war of attrition ala Stalingrad in 1942-43 but with the tables turned.

Her economy is simply too small, to sustain an “anti-Western rampage”. Neither is her man-power. Russia may have a few ‘hurrahs’ at the beginning like the Wehrmacht. And then what?

And Russia won’t survive a thermonuclear war-to-the-death either. Like the Japanese, its population is too small and too concentrated – mainly in the St. Petersburg-Moscow-Leningrad corridor.

Europe and the US may survive a thermonuclear exchange because their populations are far larger (combined population is about 850 million) and more evenly spread out.

In all out thermonuclear war, victory belongs to the nations that have enough people left after the thermonuclear exchange to pick up the pieces, mop up the remnants of the annihilated enemy and rebuild the nation. This is just common sense and simple arithmetic, not even maths.

Yeah, J. That’s the big question as to what will become of Russia after Putin. Will his successor or successors be able to do as well as him ..and keep Russia together? It’s like the problem with the former USSR. Stalin purged all his potential rivals so that after his death,there was no one really capable to hold the USSR together. China was fortunate in that Zhou En Lai protected Deng whom he knew was the only one able to rebuild China after Mao’s excesses.

But what will become of Russia after Putin i.e. in 10 to 20 years time, which is like a virtual hour in Chinese reckoning of time?

Every once in while, when the Empire swings a stick, there will be loud chorus on the Russian front yelling for China to do something and don’t be a “docile and smiling Buddha”. Outside of such ‘crisis’ occasions, China seldom gets into Russian-sphere discussions.

Well, guys, China IS doing something, LOTS OF THINGS. They are simply not the ‘in your face’ type that people who crave reading or watching NYT/WaPo/Reuter/CNN/BBC are looking for. And even if China do the ‘in your face’ type of things and inflict real pain in the western keister, these propaganda outlets wouldn’t report them and you guys wouldn’t know anyway.

But let me get back to what China has done. In the last five years, China has revolutionized its weaponry deployments to the point of causing the Empire to glare and feel despaired. Now the Empire has to watch its back when it swings its stick. In South China Sea, the Empire’s navy is now merely whimpering and not daring to swing its stick no more. I guarantee you Neocons lost months worth of sleep over the South China Sea island building project. In the not too distant future, as Chinese 052C and 055C destroyers drop into the ocean like wontons, this whimpering posture will spread to other regions/seas/oceans, because the Empire is always nervous when facing an equal rival and knows to check itself as necessary.

Also in the not too distant future, the completion of the Beidou (North Star) GPSS will make Empire’s own home court vulnerable to conventional surgical strikes, a privilege that the Empire has hitherto used against everyone else as blackmail chips. In other words, China has been, and continuing to, leveling the playing field to CONTAIN that monstrous Empire.

There is the lingering doubt whether China will fight on Russian side if REAL WAR breaks out against the Empire TODAY. Rest assure that YES, China would. SCO would be the PRETEXT. But there is no need to say such things in the western propaganda space, isn’t there? Why don’t you guys have that confidence? I bet Putin does understand. In return, Chinese leadership is confident that if war ‘accidentally’ breaks out between itself and the Empire, Russian gunneries and missiles will be pointed the right way, without Putin having to openly vow so.

Confucius said.. Why conquer a country with fire and war when you can conquer it with economics. That is why China is silent. Maybe they feel they are not ready to flex muscles just yet? But they should do it before they are left to fight against the Empire by themselves.

Brilliant analysis,..hey but there’s one thing you shouldn’t do .,dont overestimate a bully’s power!…team chaos may be under the illusion that they have what it takes, do they?…its evidently clear they are past their glory days!…and that’s all it takes for self destruction.They couldn’t even bring down the arabian ‘barrel bomber’ after 6 years…never mind Evil putin or the smiling chinese Buddha:-)

I read that the Chinese have the attitude that if the USA is focussed elsewhere it allows them space to continue their economic rise.
I don’t know how deep this ideology goes – but only time will tell whether they really stand for something except cheap products

This essay is some of your best work, which is saying a lot [You’ll have another book before you know it]. Happy Easter, and thank you for posting this — the truly international nature of the readers here is one of those few things that give me hope. This site is being read, alright… Let’s hope the people in power with half a brain left are reading as well.

The thought occurred to me, what if Trump did this as a “give them enough rope to hang themselves” maneuver, where he “finds out” the chemical attack intelligence was false, and then goes after everyone who pushed it, “you’re fired”, as well as the each media that beat the celebratory war drums, as a showcase of “fake news” examples. That would sure catch them off guard, ha. But I don’t think Trump is that Machiavellian, more like a real estate salesperson than a chess master. But that idea, if applied, might save Trump from the trap he is in, and turn things around, no?

Trump’s man could visit Moscow and say, yeah it looked bad but we did it to get the hawks feeding the president false intelligence to out themselves so we could fire them using the fabricated intelligence as the reason, and also to identify the honest brokers who held firm. Surely a good way to find out who your friends are vs who works for the Machine. But again, i don’t see it likely unless someone suggested to Trump, and even then very unlikely to pan out when Trump is so surrounded by folks of the opposite persuasion.

The dog wiggles not through his tale. I’m also getting more and more the impression Trump is done for. He is now a doll, and the Handlers will fully unleash it onto the World, in the fashion….now let’s see what happens if we turn this knob fully counter clockwise what will our nice little rag doll do…

That’s exactly what I’m “concentrating” on being the “probable outcome” of all this…
Really keeping fingers crossed… like a fool… but sometimes dreams come true.
Give them some rope to see how far they will go… then, hang them “you’re fired” with their own decisions and false news.
Standing with all of you folks…

Trump theatrically sends a 59-missile tweet, and four “beautiful babies” in Syria become “collateral damage”. ***
Several billion people take a sharp intake of breath and say: WTF?
A trillion collective hours are spent analysing, deconstructing, psychoanalysing:WHYdid he do this, and why now?
Now we know.

Ivanka.

Ivanka got upset watching a piece of Wag the Dog nonsense and begged daddy to blow up the “bad guys”.
Good to know, now that the world is standing at the very precipice of thermo-nuclear war, it’s because Daddy’s princess couldn’t determine the difference between a Disneyesque cartoon and the diabolical mass-death a real “sarin” attack would precipitate.****to paraphrase (and contort) Orwell, all “beautiful babies” are equal, but some beautiful babies just have to die if they are obstructing American “interests”

Yes the KushnerCoup, which is the Zionist subset of the British Empire attack upon Trump.

Lyndon LaRouche has been warning that the British intend to blow up the world than allow the Platonic potential of a future for the planet come into fruition through the New Silk Road and One Belt policy of China and Russia, which are his revivals of a greater strategic flank that goes back to Cusa and then Leibniz. Such warnings were amplified a few weeks ago when Trump made to speeches which invoked the “American System of Economics” that tradition of Hamilton, Clay, Henry C. Carey, Lincoln, McKinley, FDR and Kennedy and also and announcement concerning space exploration. This was unprecedented and came from the Miller/Bannon side of things, Note the “American System” had last been explicitly voiced by McKinley murdered by the British through
their anarchist operative Emma Goldman….

Thus the urgent danger was announced in EIR and LaRouchePac that the British were intending to blow up the world than let the visitation of Xi lead to the burial of the British Empire….and thus indeed. Do note that the prelude to this had been the sedition class of the Demoratic Party and Republican operatives using various concocted stories against Trump and others, fed by British sources towards demonizing Putin nauseating series of slurs.

Now of course the deep mechanics of the coup are delivered in a most medieval manner through Ivanka, to which we must remember a preview was exposed in the rift between Bannon and Kushner, Mr 666Fifth Ave, where nepotism rules the day. Thus Trump ultimately collapses, throwing away his Oath of Office in a split second, but one wonders whether or not the charade of his candidacy had always been that way.

Of course one can fantasize that Trump has done the greatest troll job in history, but until he fires the traitors, starting with the firing of Kushner, McMaster, Gary Cohen, Dina Powell, etc….

Now there is fighting back. Many Trump supporters are pissed off, and there is the potential to fight back, that needs to happen….but there is too much fragmentation and stupidity that is combined by gutless political traitors of both parties.

It is heartening to see Rep. Tulsi Gabbard fighting back, but she is being attacked and cucks like
Bernie Sanders further the insanity.

Per the KushnerCoup, I am now finding the commentaries on of Lee Stranahan to be very important.

The technical analysis was great, but it’s the psychological analysis which explains the danger the world faces. As in Rome’s latter stages, the ruling class is dominated by sociopaths. I have the feeling that many in power have the mindset they will either control the world or destroy it rather than compromise. The people in America generally don’t see this whether the reason is apathy, denial, or simply exposure to years of propaganda.

Saker you said it yourself, you don’t understand economics, your statement that China can really hurt the US economically, proves it. China can do nothing to the US economically without damaging itself even more. The rest is wishful thinking.

You correctly pointed out that China needs to do more that behave as a smiling Buddha. Yes precisely. So why haven’t they? How many years has it been that China has done nothing other that lend support to Russia’s veto? Your theory is not going to survive the test of time, you do not understand the mindset of the Chinese leadership and it seems like you don’t understand their economic limitations, vulnerabilities and compulsions.

China holds huge investments in dollars, anything that jeopardizes the dollar’s buying power damages China too (do you really think the Chinese want to see their hard earned$3Trillion-4Trillion (among other US denominated assets) to no longer be exchangable for US/Western/International technology, Corporations, hard assets, Utilities, etc. The Chinese are in a bind. They have near term crises to manage. Expecting moral, principled or even long term pragmatic behavior out of them is pointless.

Also putting any faith in a Deep State approved resource like a Tulsi Gabbard, who gets mysteriously easy prime time access to CNN and MSNBC, is like forgetting that Obama came out of the same US security state casting pool and forgetting the danger of putting faith in any American politician that seems to talk sense and peace (have you forgotten how sweet and logical Trump’s Russia position was during the campaign?). In my opinion, the US has lost its opportunity for a soft landing, the whole world is in for a bumpy ride as both US and EU decline.

I believe that you are correct. Many do not realize that China’s economic leverage over the USA is a financial version of mutually-assured destruction and China will try just about anything before resorting to crashing the USD.

Thanks JS, I’m glad that you have avoided group think too (like me). China is racing against the clock to Manage several crises.

By the way when I wrote the above posting, I typo’d and wrote that I thought it was pointless to expect “long term pragmatism” from China. What I meant to say is: it’s pointless to expect China to take difficult but necessary steps that will benefit them in the long term, just look at their track record:

They know they have a huge real estate bubble that will crash, but they have held back on doing anything.

They know they have a huge internal debt crisis and badly performing loans, yet continue with pumping loans out to SMEs at below market rates.

They did not take the painfull but courageous route but opted for continuing with short term firefighting and supporting the status quo because they are afraid of the Chinese public in that may start protesting. No long term thinking here.

Mutually assured destruction? Maybe you two have no sense of economies whatsoever. Now whose high quality products uphold the whole China subsidized circus in the US? Who gets nothing in return? Of course is The Saker absolutely right about China.

Yes you must be right: neither one of us (JS or myself) knows anything about economies because you say so. I am curious if you have something substantive to back up your statement. Perhaps you could supply us with a lesson in economics that all the readers here can benefit from, I’m always willing to learn.

Russia became strong because of the sanctions. It made Russia concentrate on internal production, on self-reliance. As Putin noted, “Thanks, couldn’t have done it without you”

So, how is this for left field ……

I agree, the US and China are economically interdependent.

Trump wants to make America great again. Wants the jobs and the factories back. So, why not ‘fry’ China. Nuke Nth Korea, declare war on China after either a false flag or China retaliating.

Then, as an enemy state, confiscate all China’s assets in the US and repudiate any debt to China via Bonds etc. WTF is China going to do?

Smile a lot???

America is then forced to make things again, and getting rid of a few trillion in bond debt will help economically I expect.

Concentrate on internal production and consumption.

Oh yes, it is all a lot more complicated than that ….. but think about it ….. interesting scenario

And it would fit in with Trumps child-like simple view of the world.

We are still essentially a group of nation states, basically at war because each state only acts in its own interests. Until we can work together as a common humanity, war seems the only way to resolve differences.

TYS, you are wrong on one thing: The Chinese political apparatchiks are not idiots like their European, American and Russian liberal counterparts. You forget that credit inflation and deflation can be controlled by the CCB at will. It’s a balance sheet operation in the accounting department. Bad debts can be cleared (bonds of economic useful actors can be bailed out – parasites like 90% of bond holders can go tits up) if need be. It’s true that in the confines of neoclassical economic thinking an operation like that is unfathomable, but it is still just a technical operation which has to be executed in a planned manner. In contrast to the so called “free market in the West” the Chinese government has the means to get all necessary actors to comply and the ability to get the necessary information. The shadow banking system in China is a much bigger problem, once again not because the assets cannot be restructured, but because of the lack of control and, in some cases, the integral part they play in the Chinese economy.

Many make the faulty assumption that money is somehow an integral part of our physical reality – it’s not. A social unit of account, claim on work, the materialised form of consolidated power, is a necessary illusion to keep humans devided in a hierarchical power structure. This has nothing to do with physical laws, which cannot be manipulated. Humans can do whatever they want with the stored energy in form of atom bonds to electromagnetic radiation. If it means they want to push some electrons in the CB mainframe to get society to keep believing in real or electronic paper, they can do it. BTW the US debt was created though the transfer of reserves at the CB into an interest bearing asset e.g. treasuries. Translation: the Chinese swapped their reserves at the FED for treasuries. The US cannot default on its currency because its the SOLE issuer of it. It stupefies me to no end that the myth of a US default in DOLLAR is still discussed seriously. On the other hand, Chinese assessts in dollars are at a real risk. They CAN drop in value if the US were to create more dollar denominated credit with which it would buy up REAL assessts and not fictional wealth f.e. at the stock market.

There are no economic laws. There is only an established social system which is very profitable for a few and is the legacy of a previous power struggle.

I agree that the Chinese leadership are not idiots, I don’t believe I ever said they were.

I repeat, the Chinese are not going to throw away their ability to gain access to western technology and corporations (or destabilize, any further, their social systems by disrupting their export oriented industries) by doing anything stupid like threatening the US with their current Empire currency & debt holdings. So I agree with you, I don’t think the Chinese leadership are reckless idiots: that’s my point.

Have you forgotten that the Chinese economic growth has nearly halved even based on their faked inflated “official” 6.5 % GDP growth figures (their actual growth figure is between 3-4%)? They are not operating from a position of strength.

Gold reserves, during a trade war, will not give the Chinese access to the Western technologies and assets they desire.

Someone mentioned a scenario where the US will declare war on China in order to tear up their debt obligations to the Chinese and seize Chinese assets in the West. Why would they need to do that? One can easily make the counter argument: the US can provoke China into doing something wreckless and then default on China. Isn’t that what the close shore patrols the US performs along China’s coastline designed to underscore?

Again, a very good point was brought up in the article, President Xi needs to do more than behave like a smiling Buddha: they continue to let Russia does all the heavy lifting (and dying). Let’s see if they do finally step up to the plate, – I don’t believe they will.

I agree with you. They are very cautious not to upset their dollar apple card, as you’ve rightly pointed out: the Chinese worked themselves like slaves to get this mountain of dollar reserves. I once picked up the rumor that the Russians tried to convince the Chinese to drop their dollar reserves on the market in 2008-2009 so as to crash the dollar, but again this would have meant shooting themselves in the foot. The US doesn’t give s* about its debt, they don’t have to default on anything because its their currency! So you’re right the US could provoke China into doing something rash. Indeed China is very much an export driven economy, and they will absolutely do jack to threaten their position by getting into a military confrontations with the US. How do you even, like the Saker points out regularly, deal with war mongering freaks like the US officials? The US is itching to destroy its competitors by any means necessary.

The crucial point I wanted to make, and this is what I mean by not being idiots, is that they know how they should play the capitalist game of smoke in mirrors, they know that the debt bubble in thw real estate sector is unsustainable, they know that they inflate GDP numbers, but here is the BIG difference (to eurocrats f.e.): If the real estate bubble pops the CB can bail out all useful actors and let the bad ones go bankrupt. It can create yuan at infinitum. It would send initially shock waves through the economy, but depending on the prudent restructuring of all the debts the economy can resume on working again. This is what no Western bureaucrat would dare to think – when they bail out something, it’s parasites like JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Goldman and large funds, never small time debtors f.e. home owners. As I recall, Micheal Hudson talked about how Sheila Bair (EX FDIC Chairman) did suggest that you should save real people (depositor’s money) instead of bank balance sheets, and that the FED was able to do that (a small summary of her views with a lot weasel words and smoke: https://jrc.princeton.edu/news/sheila-bair-former-fdic-chairman-discusses-financial-crisis).

This subject is much more complex than everything said by us, but I understand why Chinese officials refrain from doing the rational thing of restructuring the debts right now; i think they speculate on the fact that as long as the economy is growing they will continue to build cities, ports, planes, buy out western companies and infrastructure till the bell rings. After the process of consolidation I described they will reinflate the credit bubble again. They try everything at the same time. Reining in the shadow banking system, slowing down credit inflation and than restarting it again and letting the economy grow etc. China is trying to establish its very own yuan vacuum cleaner by which they can buy up (real!) assets like mines, factories etc. all over the world.

That is the perspective of the capitalist class (not to speak of silly name calling like”communists”), take another viewpoint esp. in terms of the eco-system and all of this is a big fat net loss. They once tried to measure their “Green GDP” but quickly stopped doing that after it became apparent how much “natural capital” was destroyed each year.

All of our terminology, definitions, ethics are sloppy and misleading by design if we talk about who decides what, when and who gets what, when and how much.

I love this forum because the participants mostly try to keep everyone honest and down to the facts. It’s no use to pontificate about secret plans and what some leaders or governments think – If the we all would acknowledge our material reality (exc. the obvious metaphysical questions), we all would have a much more stronger foundation for action.

@Nachtigall
Very well put, but may I add that the ‘economy’ is an expression of energy; past, present and future and we (in the west anyway) have borrowed rather heavily from the future. We can print as much money as we want but we cant print energy, well not yet anyway.

China has hedged its exposure to US debt by accumulating gold.
When the US dollar crashes, gold will soar and the effect may well be beneficial to China even if they initiate the crash.
It’s the USA that is between a rock and a hard place.

Meanwhile the US has to buy/steal gold from other countries, bought about 220 tonnes from Canada to give about the same to Netherlands in the “rehypothecated WW2 safe-keeping gold repatriation scam”, plus steal from Libya and Ukraine to do the same for Germany and France. The hegemon is in a weak position when the vassal states don’t trust them to hold their physical gold and can demand it back.

Russia and China have already set up an alternate international currency/exchange/trade system, using yuan-renminbi/ruble plus accommodating other local currencies. The only-US$-based WTO/IMF/World Bank/BIS/SWIFT/etc. system can be bypassed if the US/Rothschilds decide to attempt any M.A.D. economic tactics.

Yes I agree. Accumulating gold seems to be part of their plan. If the USD crash for whatever reasons, the rise in the price of gold will at least cover up for the loss in value of USD assets. I think China has enough gold to be now more than ready to dump USD assets; and the US knows this. This means that China can survive a crash of the USD but USA will not. That’s why Trump is talking nice to Xi. Neither will the US survive if the USD is manipulated too high through interest rates by the Fed.

The United States Reserve hold 8 times as much gold as China’s. So where does your argument go now?

If we include the BS internet rumor that China has unofficial holdings of an additional 9000 tonnes raising their total seizable holdings to 10,000 tonnes that is still dwarfed by US private holdings. Europe has comparable reserves in private and central bank hands. Finally, the country with largest gold holdings in both in govt and private hands is India, at approx 20,000 tons.

Just look at the yearly production of gold in China, the gold that never reaches the market. The official Chinese reserves of 1,000 tones are nothing compared to it. Coupled with official Swiss mints data of gold export to China in the last 10 years, and you are coming really close to BS internet rumor numbers.

When was the last time that US gold holdings were audited? Do you know that US had 24,000 tones of gold in 1945? They reduced their holdings for more than 15,000 tones from 1945 to 1971, and after that they didn’t reduce it for an ounce?

So what? If you read my post, I said even if you believe the BS internet myth of 10,000 tons of gold in China, it is still dwarfed by the holdings of other countries. So this doesn’t conferred China any relative advantage. They will still be below the US and even India.

I appreciate you trying to shed light on China’s desperate attempts to acquire gold and how so much of it is unaccounted for, but it doesn’t change their relative strength vis a vis their adversaries, they will still be the weaker and poorer party.

Hey, China is not only hoarding gold. It is hoarding all the strategic commodities with its USD. Notice how the prices of those commodities are rising. It is also hoarding oil and gas to take advantage of the current low prices.So China is ready if the US want to commit economic suicide by thrashing its currency and/or picking a fight with China.

That’s because you don’t understand the nature of courage.
Courage is not not fearing (only idiots don’t fear dangers).Courage is is overcoming your fears :-)
The Russians are ready, trust me.
Kind regards,
The Saker

I do not agree with you.
Do you think that a lion is an idiot, and attack another one overcoming the fear.
The Fear is a factor of a weaker specie.
Spartans overcome fear by thinking they are the best.

And Vikings believed in overcoming the fears by believing the salvation in death.
You will never overcome the fear to be made for a war, the courage is not enough to win a war.
You must turn yourself into a specie like lions or vikings, simply – a cruel bastard.

Soviets beaten the Germans because quite a number of soldiers been unknowingly transformed into cruel bastards,. Not a courage, but a vengeance was a wining factor. The reality of war is not for everyone. One Russian veteran said once – war is not for women or weak.

Wow! How do you get to know so much about so much? Russian war veteran talked to you? Cute. A lot of women fought in the Great Patriotic War. People were, what? unconsciously brainwashed into what? I suppose the concept of Motherland is alien to you. That a human being can be raised in the spirit of self-sacrifice for his Motherland is not something you can grasp.

Exactly, war never touched ordinary Germans, who went to bakeries and cinemas, in Russia everybody fought: women, elderly, children 12 years old lied about their age to get enlisted, old cannon specialists marched to the front walking on sticks, my uncle Anatoly survived operation Barbarossa, and went on to defeat von Manstein in Stalingrad and Kursk. Glory to mother Russia!

The Germans at the eastern front feared the female batallions most as ISIS fears female Syrian and Kurd fighters. As Saker wrote, courage is dealing with and overcoming your fear. The remaining feelings of danger keep one prudent and will make one survive there where the fearless (idiot) who thinks he’s the best will definitely get into big trouble.

Lions are not as fearless as you think. The lion fearing chimpanzee manages to keep lions at bay by waving a thorny acacia branch at the lions. Now who’s the coward?

Vikings (the West) overcame fear with drugs. Just as they do today.
Back then it was Amanita Muscaria, detoxified and diluted by passing through the bladder of a living deer. Today it is Big Pharma developed Pentagaon Captagon and synthetic heroin.
The more things change….

I am not American, nor Spartan. However I do not fear anyone and do not believe in Courage.
The other day I faced 6 hostile men, I run away but not because of fear but I concluded I had no chances so I call it tactical retreat. Courage would had no use to me, but smartness saved me from certain defeat, perhaps even serious injuries. I will be back with vengeance, because the treat is still there. I am German, but the good one, on your side.

The 300 spartans didn’t run, beacuse they didn;t “have a chance.” Not only have you no idea what courage is (of course it’s no use to you – you don’t even get it), you also have no idea how “chance” works

The Russians are afraid of war. The Americans are not.
The Russians are ready for war. The Americans are not.

WW2 is still a very real agony for Russia. It still has not totally recovered. It lost 30+million people.
Read about the Battle of Stalingrad. Russians know what it takes to fight and survive a modern, diabolical war.
While Russian were starving, fighting and dying, the Americans were at the movies.
They swooped in at the end and claimed victory (no disrespect to families of US who did serve)
But the US experience of war cannot ever be compared to the Russian agony.

This is not about animals but humans. When a human is afraid he puts effort into preparation to maximize a favorable outcome. ‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread’ — but angels are the best prepared.

If one is afraid of giving an upcoming speech, then one rehearses more; a test, one studies more; a scary noise in the dark, one grabs a good light and an extra weapon. One becomes ready because one has fear.

@ Spartan
Saker said russians are afraid of war, not of americans or their weapons.
i was in war and i know. to be afraid is normal if you are a normal human being. When war or battle is approaching, when you are in, fear disappears and millions of years in the genes puts you in survival mode. for those who are still afraid after the war has already begun, they are lost in the advance.

Real fear sharply focuses the mind and body, and sometimes enables one to do extraordinary things.

It enabled me to chase a bear away from a campsite filled with kids with only a stick, and to walk 1/4 mile though deep woods without mishap in total darkness in retreat from a warning growl from a large wild animal (big cat or bear). All thoughts of anything else but the situation at hand vanished. True fear does not mean running away or even ‘feeling afraid’ but a transformation of being.

Spartans delude themselves. And John Wayne wore lady’s underwear. Until you have been under sustained mortal danger, you cannot understand real fear. Until you have overcome that fear, you cannot know what courage is. J. Edgar Hoover wore lady’s underwear, too.

You are the typical Anglo-Saxxon who has been fed Propaganda, and who thinks he knows what great Fighters are made off. You are wrong, you didn’t have any of that sort for a looong, looong time ! Why ? Because you are evil, your wars are evil since a looong, loooong time. There are no great Warriors in the Army of evil, only slime, rubbish, filth. Those who aren’t cannot be part of really and usually die a very unkonwn, unspoken of death.

A Lion, a Wolf know fear, because not having it is bad for survival, as you will soon find out yourselve.
How old are you ? I guess you are older than twenty. I have bad news for you. If you don’t even know such extremly basic fundamentals what else could you know ? ‘Know How’ probably, which makes you the perfect Slave, Soldier, Ork, Zombie.

Aggression – Fear are the result of the same mechanism, the examination of a social situation intra- or inter- species. The resultant reaction is usually beneficial for survival, else it will just dissapear over time.

The Russians know what it means to have a real modern War at hand, an experience which you never had, Your experience comes from phony Hollywood crap. The Russians experienced total War, a term you have no faculties for, only the Germans and Russians have. The Germans were transformed into plastic, jew hailing dolls, while the Russians learned really from the experience. They prepare large underground shelters for the Civilians in the large Metropolitan areas (Having a Subway is also not bad), but more importantly their mind is focused, they ready themselves in the mind. You can see some of it’s quality in the civil war in the Donbass. These are men types and women completly alien to a dumbed down Westerner fed up with lies. In comparance to them you are just junk, trash. One of them outweighs 20 of yours easily. Would you know what you are fighting for ? The only feasible reply could be, yes we plan to kill our Leaders. Now that said, do you know where strength comes from, first and foremost ? A pure god abiding soul !!!!!! Any TRUE Warrior will fear war, because he is concerned for the weak, for himself and even for his enemy. The strength you are talking is not strength at all, but weakness. You are the type who at first occurence will use barbaric force onto the innocence (Civilians, Surrendering Enemies) we know you inside out. Your strength is to be brutal and barbaric, only that’s no strength at all but weakness. It only makes the enemy stronger, his resolve will increase indefinetly. In a total War that means defeat for you without exception. Your Leaders know this or knew this, thus they planned their wars very carefully in advance, striking only when risk was minimal (WWI & WWII), because you couldn’t withstand a prolonged real war spiritually, in war all domestic lies are uncovered the nearer you get to the frontline.

Your posting was literally a poem, a profound one, painfully truthful and excellent.

The part you where you wrote:

Now that said, do you know where strength comes from, first and foremost ? A pure god abiding soul !!!!!! Any TRUE Warrior will fear war, because he is concerned for the weak, for himself and even for his enemy.

Was particularly poignant and reminded me of the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, representing the exact attitude of the main warrior Arjuna on the eve of battle.

Are you Russian? Did those ideas you wrote down in your post come from the Russian culture and represent a portion of Russian ethos or does it come from some other culture (Chinese or Japanese). It would really be valuable for our understanding if you could answer this.

@Spartan
You so do not understand a thing. Spartans fought to the last breath, because as someone said they had to protect their land and the families. This is why some people say ” Molon Lave – come and get it” they did not say “we run now”. They understood that this was their last stand. And this is called “ultimate sacrifice”.

Saker is so correct in what he says, and you do not have to agree with him, because you haven’t had to stand when bullets were flying around you. The truth though is: you do not hear the one coming for you. How I know it? From my father who did his share of fighting in WWII.

Actually no, Spartans were Mediterranean stock with heavy African admixture (go look it up: genetic studies and actual statues & busts of Spartans from those ancient times). The features exhibited in those contemporary statues and busts are clearly West African Bantu mixed with Mediterranean/West Asian phenotypes.

I was taught in University Biology classes that Sickle cell anemia (a genetic disease that makes you immune or resistant to the crippling blood fever shakes of malaria) originates in subsaharan Africa and is endemic to only one “European” or West Asian population: the Greeks.

Sorry if that demolished some malicious 19th Century racist British inspired lies designed to buttress the illusion of White Supremacy. If you still have trouble accepting the Greek-African connection go google image search the bust of Socrates and see his features.

edited for language -mod.eo
What’s about Mongol hordes ? Are they were on drugs too ?
No. They were vicious animals in human flesh, cruel b*****.
It was their key to win, born to wage wars only.
Their only fear was a failure, but not to charge on enemies.

Don’t get angry at me.
What I am trying to say is that a war is cruel business, and if participants are made of cruel material they are made for wars. The courage is irrelevant for such warriors, but for the rest I guess the necessity to preserve fighting spirit or own land.

“Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.” Should the madness proceed, the destruction will be global. In the age of nuclear weapons, and their adjunct, several hundred nuclear power plants, there is potential for an ‘extinction level event’ scale of collateral damage.

One expects incredible, surreal vicious stupidity from many American politicians. But bewilderingly pathetic were the reaction of various ‘prominent’ political figures outside of the United States, who without bothering to determine the actual facts of the matter pertaining to the probable false flag so-called chemical warfare event, cheered on Trump’s mediocre performance ‘supreme crime’ missile attack. What are these people drinking? It’s as though they have no brain or heart.

Furthermore, when I saw the out-of-proportion coverage of Canadian politicians speaking at, and stroking, Zionists at Zionist events I was made consciously aware of how much my government also supports the Israeli nationalist agenda. And then there was the say-it-all moment when Harper was photographed, wearing the patriarch’s vanity yarmulke, with prayer book in hand at Jerusalem’ West Wall, and onlookers wolfishly smiling at his obsequience.

I had hoped otherwise, but was intensely disappointed by Trudeau’s premature support of the unverified allegations after the chemical event in Syria, at the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun, Idlib province.

The junkyard dog politician Jean Chrétien at least had the sense to publicly deny any intention of Canadian support or involvement in G.W. Bush’s coalition of the killing in Iraq. The fact that there were Canadian Joint Task Force 2 special forces, and eventually military police, in Iraq just made Chrétien look like the usual lying politician, rather than a yappy chihuaua (another good one from you).

I had come to the conclusion over the weekend that China was the key to peace in Syria. (or at least the halt of US aggression) A trip wire force there would completely alter the political landscape in Syria for the better. There is no way that the US would risk facing China, Russia and Iran simultaneously.

I hope Xi acts appropriately and recognizes this. It really is in his hands.

I’m making a straight out prediction: Xi will not provide any direct military support to Syria. No military intervention. Syria is too far away, their is no immediate and direct threat to China in that theater and the bulk of China’s military is too primitive and lacking in long range logistics to be anything but a liability: The Chinese have trained up an elite force of 300,000 men that are fully modernized and, one would presume, is capable, but their role is to protect China proper not overseas adventures.

Chinese ISIS affiliated muslim Uyghur terrorists from the far western Xinjiang province, a key New Silk Road/OBOR node, are fighting alongside ISIS inside Syria. Do you think China will just sit back and wait for these terrorists to go back home and cause havoc to a strategic economic initiative designed to wean China/Russia and their allies away from the US controlled international trade/finance system, a system that largely benefits the west at the expense of everyone else outside the west? You think the Chinese do not know that the same ISIS is a CIA construct designed to thwart that very Russian/Chinese strategic cooperation? You are hopelessly ill-informed if you don’t realise that as a result thereof, the Chinese are ALREADY assisting Russia, Syria and Iran in Syria against ISIS.

To the answer to your following question:“Do you think China will just sit back and wait for these terrorists to go back home and cause havoc [?]”

Ans: Yes I do.

It is you who is hopeless misinformed about China. I, having lived and worked their and being from the region seem to have more insight than you. Now can we dispense with the emotional outbursts and ad hominem attacks and stick to some pertinent facts:

Are you aware that Uygur terrorists operate freely in Northern Pakistan and certain central Asian republics and Malaysia (right in China’s backyard and sphere of influence) and that China can do nothing about it other than to wait for them to return and then kill them? Apparently you are not aware of this.

China is not going waste it’s time and money sending its ill-trained and equipped troops over to Syria just to crush a few Uighur terrorist cockroaches. That’s not the mindset of Asians, the Chinese mindset, one this issue, is much closer to that of Indians and Russians and not that of pampered zero-risk conditioned masses of the West. Over reacting to terrorist incidents may be the mindset of overly sensitive and fragile eye for an eye Israelis, but it is not how to deal with terrorists. Terrorism feeds on overreaction and emotionalism leading to wasted resources and psychological exhaustion. The worst thing you can do to a terrorist movement is scale your responses down, proportionate to the damage they can actually do: this obliterates their strategy and dooms them to exhaustion and defeat.

Chinese government may not bang the drum, but I would think China is working with Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and other countries involved to bring them home for justice. From some reports, Chinese do have military advisers in Syria. Not sure about military police though.

Yes China is the key, but they will betray us. Threatening Korea is a warning to China to stay out but China wasn’t interested anyway.

Its own media reports Syria from an American point of view with little recognition of Russia and no airtime at all for the Syrian government. I have seen Chinese TV refer to Russian aggression and even introduce experts from the Brookings institute … seriously, I’m not making this stuff up.

They care about the China sea and are programed to hate Japan but beyond that the Chinese government only care about Chinese ‘Stability” and money for themselves.

China cannot afford to sit on the sidelines and, ‘betray us’ it will be (has been) forced by the US into a growing confrontation in the South China Sea and now Korea. If it doesn’t want to surrender to the US it will perforce have to be part of an alliance with Russia, Iran, and North Korea. It is certain that they chinese military strategists know this, but they are keeping the cards close to their chests at this particular juncture. These nations will need to hang together or hang separately.

Chinese TV state all views on world events, include the West, especially at beginning.

I am sure When Putin went to Syria, he did not, or should not count on China to rescue him some day. What he was able to count on is will be peace at border with China.

Russia has a fighting culture. It is Russian tradition to get into fight, and without mercy.

Chinese culture is for peace, harmony, and prosperity. Chinese do not go out fight, but will fight defend her borders.

It is unrealistic expect Russian act like Chinese. Otherwise, China would have had a lot of her northern coast.

There is no reason to expect Chinese will fight a war far way for some one else. If Russian think China will give up her millenniums old doctrine for sake of Russia, that is not be realistic.

I think Russians should be grateful for peace at Chinese border even after centuries invasions and pointed policy of ethic cleaning of Chinese of her own land.

By the way, China do not hate Japan if we do not even hate Russia.

Bottom line is,
1. Chinese are not blind to what really happened in the world, including what happens last week in Syria.
2. Chinese appreciate the 5 years of peace and harmony with Russia
3. In history, Russia was as a big enemy as the west if not bigger.
4. There has been no remorse show from Russia Government or the people about your fighting actions inflict on China, or any of your neighbor in fact.
5. Why a smart man like Putin want to depend on others to rescue him for his own country’s security?

It may be that Russia and China think a viable strategy is to play on the US’s arrogant self-image as the “world’s policeman”. Engaging the US in many opponents’ “backyards” worldwide will spread even the largest military in the world very thin. Maintaining the security/viability of the 1,000 foreign US-bases will be difficult in a purely military sense, let alone the hatred begat of the decades of US-military-personnel’s literally rapacious behaviour on the surrounding populace. Even in “safe” Europe.

So it is probably not China’s role to directly engage in Syria, the better to ensure the US faces all of China’s resources in the Far East and the Indian sub-continent. India and Pakistan may be playing both ends against the middle now, but they should have no illusions that backing the Zionist/US in such close proximity to China is a good long-term plan.

The longer Russia and China keep the US scurrying around making ineffective grandstanding pin-prick provocations, the less effective the US political position becomes with other countries. Only the most committed vassals will send military if the US starts a conventional war, and not in great numbers. For example, 60,000 total Canadian regular/reserves will make zero difference “helping” the US’s 2million active/reserve total. Besides, the Canadian military can’t keep recruitment levels up to make up for those retiring, resigning, injured. I guess the myth of Cdn forces as “peacekeepers” is finally dead.

Nice Try,
IMHO, a proxy war in a third country is amoral and does not serve interest of China. In case of North Korea and Pakistan, their enemies are happened to vocally declare China as enemy as well. They are Chinese neighbors, support them is same as defend ourselves.

However, What China can do is to help Russia besides economically: http://china.org.cn/business/2017-04/09/content_40586054.htm, maybe do some saber rattling in South China Sea, east China sea, or in Korean peninsula, with Mr. Kim V3’s cooperation of cause to divert US’s attention from ME. There is not going to be overt action from China.

I find it interesting that you say it that way. Russia annexed some small (for the area) almost empty territory “claimed” by China. But only claimed by China because the Manchu Dynasty ruled China at that time.Without the Manchu claim to that territory China wouldn’t have had any claim to it.It had never been ruled (as in settled by) ethnic Chinese Dynasties before. And then Russia freed Manchuria from the Japanese in WWII.Returning it all to China. While on the other hand Japan actually attacked China several times and in war took over Chinese territory. Slaughtered millions of Chinese during WWII.And looted and pillaged the country. For which ,unlike the USSR that gave China aid,has never paid reparations for.And yet you seem to conflate the two countries as equally old enemies.I don’t see that at all.

Too bad Bob. Chinese do not hate Japan. And again, “China do not hate Japan if we do not even hate Russia.”

Qing was a Chinese dynasty, rule by same Confucius doctrine as it is today. Had Qing at the time still act like Manchus, Russia would have not get away with such big piece of land, sparsely populated or not.

If the land is so unimportant, why was Russian want it at first place? Why had Russian not return it as it is obviously over its head trying to administering it?

Sorry bob, It is time for you to channel America, India, ISIS for Tibet and Xinjing. Historical facts be damned.

I’m going to have to figure you don’t really study Chinese history. And/or for nationalist reasons want to deny parts of it. The Qing Dynasty was a Manchu Dynasty and quite proud of it. Over centuries they assimilated Chinese culture and intermarried to “some” extend with their Han Chinese subjects (90% of the population). But even until the end of the Empire they considered themselves as Manchu’s. It was almost at the end before Han Chinese were legally even permitted to settle in Manchuria (millions did,but legally only Manchu’s were allowed there). The land lost to Russia was very slightly populated by even Manchus,and very few Han Chinese.Denying the truth doesn’t change historical facts.It only calls into question anything else you would comment on.

I agree with you Bob. Chinese feeling towards Russians is QUITE different from that towards Japanese. As for the territorial dispute, China does give considerations to the Russian point of view as you have stated. That’s how Deng Xiaoping resigned to the status quo in 1989. But China do remember the Czarist Russia’s ambition and aggression towards Chinese territories during the Qing Dynasty. Heck, the Russo-Japan War was over Manchuria and East Siberia, was it not? Chinese was made the main victim, without compensation nor apology afterwards. And even communist Soviet conspired against China in splitting Mongolia from China. But that’s all history. Throughout history territorial claim swings back and forth among nations; that feat is destined to continue into the future.

Looks like you are the one and only commentator here who understands the 1+1=0 which lies at the fundation of the China puzzle. One would suppose that you are a Russian student in BJ or SH, with some minimal knowledge of Chinese language, as well as the dominating mentality of the nation as it manifests now?

I wanted to say something about Saker’s projection on China’s entrance into global geopolitics. After reading all the posts I understood that it’s pointless. The only dim hope I have is that Putin and Lavrov understand something about the US-China-Russia triangle, which overseas lover of Russia like the Great Saker himself does not.

The fact is Chinese do not go out to fight a war. Let along for someone else.

When Russian marching east wards taking Chinese land, kicking Chinese off her land, Chinese government treated to save lives of her soldiers and concentrate on protecting populated area, Why did Russian not think about some day, they could fall into same predicament?

No, Chinese has no interest in Middle east. China did not join Korea fight until US was bombing Chinese villages by Yalu.

Chinese government doctrine is be strong, and win without a war. There is not going to be a war if the war is not at bordering countries that aim at China.

Chinese government’s responsibility is maintain peace and harmony for its own people and at borders.

Chinese bordering some 14 countries, some of them are big pain on the rear. There is no reason to take eye off ball.

If all those hurt Russian feelings, then too bad. Our feeling has been hurt for over 3 hundred years, and I do not see any Russian ever give a dime.

Well…first of all…hats off to Uncle Bob…who has concisely summed up the real historical facts about Russia and China…particularly about the question of Russia’s Far East…

Not to mention that Russian blood and lives took back Manchuria [not even Chinese if you want to split hairs] form Japs and handed it back to Han Chinese…instead of its own Manchu people…

Then likewise defended Korea so West would not set up shop on China’s border…

What we see in certain comments here is a goofy brand of irredentism that is completely uniformed by historical fact…

Exhibit 1…from ‘J’…

’…When Russian marching east wards taking Chinese land…If all those hurt Russian feelings, then too bad. Our feeling has been hurt for over 3 hundred years, and I do not see any Russian ever give a dime [sic]…’

Exhibit 2…from ‘Simon Chow’…

’…Russia seized and held onto far more Chinese territory than the West ever did…
Well…I have already noted that a closer reading of their own history would be useful…
First is the question that Russia’s expansion into the Far East…starting nearly in the 17’th century…was taking away ’Chinese’ land…

This is so silly that it does not require much of an answer…it is only necessary to look at the map of the Ming dynasty…1368 to 1644…

This was historical China…populated and ruled by ethnic Han Chinese…have a look at the map…do you see ‘China’ anywhere near the Amur River…?

The flight distance from Beijing to Khabarovsk is 1087 miles [1749 kilometers]…Khabarovsk being on the Amur River just 19 miles [30 km] from PRC border…

Note also that in 1580 when this map shows Ming lands…’China’ does not include Tibet…or even Manchuria…

In fact it was the Manchu…who are certainly not Chinese…not ethnically… racially…linguistically…or culturally…and who later conquered the Han Chinese Ming dynasty and set up the Qing dynasty…which would rule over all of China and China’s own colonial expansion to the West…namely Tibet and Uighur…from 1644 until 1912…

Even in the 19’th century when the British defeated and subjugated China in the opium wars…the British made a distinction between the Chinese and the Manchu…which they called ‘Tartars’…

The last Han Chinese dynasty was the Ming…so if we are going to get into the game of irredentism…and if some inflated Han heads now squawk about Russia giving back its Far East…the said Far East should be given back to the Manchu…

And likewise PRC would give back Manchuria to the Manchu…Tibet to the Tibetans…and Xianjing to the Uighurs…

And PRC would shrink to what was the Ming dynasty…the last Han Chinese dynasty…
I am keeping this post short because it is a silly topic…

Irredentism is the stuff of political dreamers…not realists…

I have previously discussed the issue of India, China and Russia finding common ground…but it seems to me that that scenario is not likely to happen…based on listening to Han bigheads on this discussion…

First off inflated Han heads should be aware of what we might call ‘racially’…or at least culturally motivated geopolitical arguments that are even today put forth by prominent voices like Pat Buchanan…who push for a ‘natural alliance’ between the West and Russia since these are all Caucasian peoples with a similar culture and language…the Indo-European language…

And this natural racial-cultural alliance would include India…

I have not dwelt on this topic yet…but it is important…look at the ‘kinship’ of major Indo-European languages…

Look at the similarity of many common words among English, Gothic, Latin, Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Iranian, Slavic, Baltic, Celtic and others…

My advice to Han bigheads talking big noises… including talk about ‘economic superpowers’ and the vaporware called OBOR …btw Trans-Siberian Railway and Manchurian Eastern Railway built by Russia more than 100 years ago is still the only real OBOR to date…

Consider what happens when Han bigheads ultimately destroy all goodwill with neighbors…as you have already done with India…a great power for as long as China who has given world modern mathematics…decimal systems…and much more…

When Han bigheads then destroy goodwill with Russia…as they seem intent on doing with stupid talk about Russians ‘taking away their land’…

And then more and more Pat Buchanans start popping up in the West…in Russia…and in India…and eventually unite politically into a far more natural ‘grand alliance’ of racially, linguistically and culturally related Indo-European peoples…

One may wonder why the word is out in some Chinese twits accusing Russia that she did not jump to support China in her confrontation with USA over the South China Sea?
But Russia militates for a ‘multipolar’ world and non-interference in other people yards. Of course when your neighbour house is in flames and the fire threatens your own house, you will help him to extinguish the fire, disregarding the fact that he might have once moved the fence into your own yard to pinch a slice of land.

First of all, Russia’s house is not inflame. second, To China, It only matters if the far east part of Russian house is in flame from outsiders who is also hostile to China. Chinese do not take sides in civil war, or score settling fight. Third, any Chinese expecting Russian to come to rescue at SCS is not being realistic.

As Russian exercised in SCS, Chinese also exercised in Mediterranean with Russian.

That’s exactly right. Chinese media has reported events just as you said parroting the Western narrative. Anyone denying this or trying to make excuses is going to look like an sycophantic idiot.

China has it’s own agenda, it doesn’t really (deep inside) support a multipolar world, it has pretensions of trying to replace the US as the next apex power. Certain factions of their leadership see China as the only peer to the US, all other power centers (Russia, India, EU) are to be junior partners to China. This world view of a Chinese Imperial center with only vassal states and lesser empires in the periphery is nothing new to Chinese leadership, it’s their default template.

Nobody trusts China, including Russia, which is why Russia continues to arm China’s most prominent and militarily dangerous enemies: India and Vietnam. Russia hedging its bets? In contrast, people and nations do trust Russia, why is that? The answer is obvious.

What a magnificent essay!!! Extremely informative. And so enjoyable to read, I did not want it to end.

I don’t think China will ever let Russia stand alone. They couldn’t even if they wanted to. Luckily, US arrogance works to Russia’s advantage. China is taking US threats against North Korea seriously and have moved 150k troops to the Korean border. They would not tolerate a US presence on their border in 1950, and they won’t today, either.

One thing I can be sure of about Trump and his neocon circles is that they don’t want to die. And they definitely understand that war with Russia means that they personally will die. Not just some poor shmo who joined the army tonpay for college. Them. They may not show it, but I have no doubt they know it.

Don’t believe me? Why then did they warn the Russians about the impending tomahawk attack? Because they are nice guys? No. It is because they know full well the consequence of killing Russian soldiers and thought better of it.

They clearly exhibit narcissistic and sociopathic behavior. But the most important characteristic of those types is that they consider themselves far too valuable to ever let themselves get hurt. That will work to Russia’s advantage, even if it doesn’t seem so now.

Lastly, the rest of the world, Europe and the American noninterventionists especially, really does need to step up and help. Voting obviously is not going to do it. Mass protests and general strikes aimed at shutting down the country just might.

We need to do this to save ourselves, not just Russia. ICBMs can’t distinguish between the good people and bad ones.

PS. I’m not sure talking to the Americans means much. What putin needs to do is talk to the American government in Tel Aviv and let them know that in the event of a nuclear exchange, they will not simply watch it from a distance. That just might get the US to back off.

IMHO, if the fight just between North and South, China will stand aside. If US dare to join, Then China will intervene. China will not let outsider swallow up Korea. If Japanese join in, then North and South Korea will stop fighting each other, but united to fight Japan, China will let them have all the pleasure of exacting revenge.

It looks like Trump is stupid enough to take on Both Syria and NK at same time. Let’s see how it play out.

How is China going to like US troops on the Yalu. And a “united” Korea as a military ally of the US’s. Complete with US bases on North Korea’s coast,and along the Yalu.That is the reality of the situation. North Korea,for all its faults,is a military buffer between the US hegemon and China’s industrial North.A “united” Korea with US troops is a US puppet and military ally,for when the US decides its best to strike against China.With thousands of years as a state behind it. I would expect China to realize that.As I recall China suffered enormously from Japan controlling the Korean Peninsula. And that China got involved with helping the North Vietnamese because they didn’t want US troops on their border.If they think differently today,they will live to regret that I’m afraid.

I hear you saker. In Chinese history, there is not much contact with Middle East other than trade. There is no justification for Chinese Government to go into war for any side in Middle East. I do not see how she can speak up about middle east and be taking seriously.

However, that does not mean she can not help other way. Such as sending train load of specialty goods to Russia, saber rattling in far east to take pressure off Middle East (Kim V3 can be a useful idiot here)…. Any one else have any ideas?

Maybe Kim V3 wants to play his part of taking heat off his buddy Assad and Putin too. Let’s see. He may seems crazy, but so far, he has shown he is not coward, and not a stupid guy. He may just give enough provocation to keep the boiler simmering and attract enough attention. Who said he have to do it alone since there has to be secure communication to Beijing. Plenty of way for various transport in and out Korea.

Marcus, yeah I agree with this perspective. Kim v3 is not doing poorly there. He actually out smarted US, and protect himself. Chinese seems does not feel there is much danger of a war on peninsular, at least not now. I agree US’s number in east and south Asia is up, and It is matter of time Korea and Japan will be freed.

With all blistering attitude South Korea put up against China with THAAD, it is now started to feel the pain of reality. Japan is simply under occupation.

Marcus, I often end up at New Eastern Outlook but usually because of F. William Engdahl articles, however I missed this one. Your providing the link to valuable material, such as this one on North Korea, is just one example of the absolute necessity of supporting sites like TheSaker, New Eastern Outlook, and others of this kind.

I find the international points of view on TheSaker, including the informed debate that these views usually create, to be of immense personal value.

And how do you expect to preserve a sovereign Russia without going to war ?
It is not that US made a choice to wage a hot war with Russia, they are already at war (economical…), and sooner or later they will strangle and bring Russia to its knees.
it is Russia that must make a choice between slavery or war.

Thanks Saker.
Truly appreciate this sober, but scary, analysis.
Why do Americans think the way they do?
One answer is Hollywood. Since WW2 theatres (and TV) have “constructed” the American hero.
From John Wayne to Rambo, to Tom Cruise/TopGun, to Jason Bourne to, we all know the genre.
This infantile fantasy of US invincibility and moral action…. and for decades Russians are cast as the “bad guys”.
The “programming” reaches into a cellular levels.
It seems what we are seeing emerge really is a “clash of civilisations”

This infantile fantasy of US invincibility and moral action…. and for decades Russians are cast as the “bad guys”.

Same thing happen in Nazi Germany.
It is worrying, the German were pretty close to defeat Russian in 1941.
But this time, a huge economical machine is behind the army.
if Hitler had one, there was a chance that Russia would become “Golden Horde 2”.
Russia must strike first and hard to naturalize the treat. Ignoring it means – it’s over.

As far as “not agreement capable” issue is concerned: I used to have some faith the US military would provide an ultimate check on irresponsible political behavior, as it may have been in 2013 during the first attempt at attack Assad. However, I have concluded that the Pentagon has become entirely corrupted over recent time. Saudi Arabia now spends more on defense than Russia, but does that mean they are in any ways a formidable military power? It’s mostly a bribe, that gets recycled to the defense contractors, chiefly Lockheed Martin, and then to the retired generals who work either directly or indirectly for them as subcontractors and consultants.

Look at the exponential price increase of the F-15 & F-16 over the last twenty years….

I think the Defense Department is now essentially a kick-back racket in arms sales, so of course they must hate the Russians, they are their only real competitor.

Related to this “message sending” by means of tomahawks, I remember the same medium being used in Kosovo war. In terms of nation assassination, MSM media were much worse than tomahawks. Here is a brief philosophical view by Matija Beckovic, Serbian poet of Montenegrin origin, that applies to Syria as well.

” If Kosovo is not ours, why are they asking us to give it to them?
If it is theirs, why are they robbing it from us?
And if they can rob it, why are they so hesitant? ”

In the last few days I have read a few other theories being played which you nicely debunked here. The “sending a message” (to China) was one. Getting the neo-humanitarian-con war hawks off Trump’s back another and the “Russian stooge” meme being another. All immediately seemed to me like some sort of apology for just a stupid act by Trump, as a weaker than Obama president, egged (Delphi mind control on the pompous end and gaslighting on the insecure end) on by the neos that surround him. The take away was your opinion that psychoanalysis might prove a better way of understanding the western elites than calm cool headed rational analytics. I got the image of the iconic Uncle Sam on the couch being given Rorschach prints with the captions “that one looks like a evil Putin, This one looks like a mean Assad. That looks like a conniving Xi Jinping. And this one looks like a smiling benevolent Hitler….

“And now Trump has betrayed HIMSELF by turning against everything he, himself, stood for. This is almost Shakespearean in its pathetic and tragic aspects! During his campaign Trump made a lot of excellent promises and he did inspire millions of Americans to support him. I personally believe that he was sincere in his intentions, and I don’t buy the “it was all an act” theory at all.”

I wonder how much of Trump’s campaign promises were coming straight from Bannon – before Bannon, Trump was being ridiculed about being all over the place – he almost lost at that point – and then Bannon came on board and Trump really started to reveal the Deep State – which is actually Bannon’s thing – and now with Bannon gone, Trump has become the noodle he really was

Personally I think that Trump really believed that the Syrian Army had bombed a gas factory and that the gases had killed the villagers – of course perhaps it was a great diversion from the Mosul killings that he had oops done – unintentional accident of war –

The intelligence was true enough – half true lets say, that he could act on it quickly as he was being pressured to do.

“Yes, I know, Tillerson is expected to meet Lavrov this week. This was discussed ad nauseam on Russian TV and the consensus is that the only reason why the Russians did not cancel this meeting is because they don’t want, on general principle, to be the ones to refuse to speak to the other side. Fine. Considering that we are talking about a potential international thermonuclear war, I can see the point. Still, I would have preferred to say Lavrov telling Tillerson to go and get lost. Why? Because I have come to the conclusion that any and all types of dialog with the United States are simply a meaningless and useless ”

But think Saker, that if you were a teacher with a kid in your class that was as potentially dangerous – in his future years – and you were responsible as a teacher – Russia sees herself in this role – you would have to deal with this kid – in a Christian way – (Russia is Christian before all else –

And Nicki Haley and Rex Tillerson are working for ‘the boss’ who is an indecisive man – we’ve all seen it and also see my first paragraph – they’re just doing what they’re told – but I also think Rex Tillerson is like one of these guys in this video link below – by Really Graceful – thanks to Blue for linking it

“But let me explain why I don’t know. In all my years of training and work as a military analyst I have always had to assume that everybody involved was what we called a “rational actor”. The Soviets sure where. As where the Americans. Then, starting with Obama more and more often”

Kissinger is being quoted that an unpredictable president is the best type – so now that’s what we have for sure –

‘The next four years will be terrible, I am sorry to say. Our next hope – however thin – for somebody sane in the White House might be for 2020. Maybe Tulsi Gabbard will run on a campaign promise of peace and truly draining the swamp? Maybe “America first” will mean something if Gabbard says it? ‘

I’ve been thinking that I should have voted for Rand Paul all along (Canadian notwithstanding) – I think its true what some say – that you should vote for who you want – not vote for the person who will win against who you don’t want.

So sad.

thanks so much Saker, for being here and for providing this wonderful forum for us to read and talk to each other. God Bless you and Anna and your kids and may all be well that ends.

Telling Tillerson to go and get lost will no doubt be done in private.

Also – you will also get the likely spectacle of Lavrov bashing Tillerson/ Trump/ The Neo Cons etc. all of them at a joint press conference.

In English – as Lavrov speaks such excellent English.

Tillerson will be absolutely squirming.

No doubt the Russian journalists will bombard Tillerson with questions designed to show him up.

I can’t wait to see it.

This meeting is absolutely vital in that it does go ahead – for the message Lavrov will deliver – an exceedingly blunt one I imagine, and the press conference afterwards.

I also imagine Lavrov will deliver a new message to Tillerson – that they’ve specifically now targeted several of their Russian ICBMs at Wichita Falls as a special gift for Tillerson and his relatives.

From there steamroll right over Latakia…where the small Russian military contingent is holed up…and not coincidentally the Alawite heartland that has been the seat of power of the modern Syrian state for its existence since post-colonial times…

The Russians will be forced to retreat in ignominy and defeat…

That is the reality of the balance of forces in the region…

Let’s not kid ourselves…if this is the worst nightmare scenario that you can conjure up…then that is the most likely thing to happen…

Hoping and wishing and praying the worst doesn’t happen doesn’t often work…you have to be ready for the worst…

Why do I think this…?

Let’s step back and look at the big picture over the last quarter century since the fall of the USSR…what has been the trend ever since the Soviet Union fell…?…it has been constant advance by the Western empire and constant retreat of Russia…

Yugoslavia started getting carved up before the dust had even settled in Moscow in December 1991…by the following spring full on war was raging in Bosnia…a proxy war of course…the empire prefers not to get its hands dirty if at all possible…

The previous year, 1990…with puffball Gorby in charge and already dismantling the Motherland… the elder Bush had already screwed up enough courage to hit Saddam with a huge…but still politically limited military strike…regime change was not contemplated…nor was invasion and occupation…the USSR had not yet collapsed…

Same with Milosevic in 1999…the empire hit Russia’s little brother with fiendish cruelty [there are still to this day ruined buildings in the heart of Belgrade]…while a helpless Russia could do little but gasp…what with the dirtbag Yeltsin and his Khazar looters at the controls…

Only a couple of years later did the Soros color revolution do the trick and Milo’s head was handed to the Hague on a silver platter…

By the time Putin got the ship at least partially righted…the long-term plan for Russia’s final dismemberment was already fully formed and chugging along the Bush junior invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq…this time with complete freedom to remove the government by force of arms and occupy the country…[with medieval brutality]…

Flattening cities like Falluja [War Criminal First Grade Rabid Dog Mattis]…starting up ISIS from the remnants of Saddam’s Sunni army…[remember the Petraeus Surge…?]

Then came Libya…then quickly Syria…the goal…after nearly a quarter century of this slow death by a thousand cuts… has nearly been reached…who in his right mind thinks they are going to stop now…?

And what’s to stop them…?

Really folks…I have to repeat this question…

What is to stop them…?

In real and practical terms…absolutely nothing…the Russian contingent in Syria is now meaningless…it has become meaningless because the US under Drumpf has decided to go for the gusto…

Ask Erdo…he’s already primed and pumped…

You question what kind of business smarts Drumpf has…what he has is the killer instinct to stick a knife in your back…and that’s how he got where he is…a Judas and stone cold killer…

The thing to note here in the short history I have recalled and which we are all too familiar with…is that the method of the empire is to move slowly…there is no need to achieve every objective all in one day…Rome wasn’t built in a day…

Iraq was first stunned with a fish club to the head by Bush senior…then 10 years of slow bleeding with sanctions and an illegal no-fly zone and the occasional gratuitous bombing from the Khazar pit bulls…

Same with Yugo…first the dirty proxy war [with intense propaganda of course]…then when the country was bled for a few more years…and everyone thought the Balkans crisis had settled down…boom the Albanian uprising…the bombing didn’t finish off Milosevic as some hoped…but no matter…easy does it…time is on our side…

Even a UNSC resolution was signed guaranteeing the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia…UNSC 1244 if memory serves…how much is that scrap of paper worth now…?

Nobody with a right head on his shoulders can miss this modus operandi…the slow creeping war that just keeps grinding on…for years a seemingly frozen conflict or proxy war…until boom…the time is just right to deliver the coup de grace…

Right now that moment has come for Syria…there is no other project in the works…Syria is still the prize…and anyone who thinks that the empire has given up on its prize for a second needs to have their head examined…

This is a winner take all game…always has been…

You want clues…look no further than Erdogan…that whole Astana BS…what a sham…buying time until the big guy in DC says GO…

China has nothing to do with this fight…thinking that China will somehow get involved is sheer lunacy…

If the Russians aren’t smart enough to have figured out that their head is now on the chopping block in Syria…you can be sure that Xi is laboring under no such illusions…

‘…leaving Syria to the Takfiris…?’

Give me a break…it’s never been about the Takfiris…whoa re just convenient foot soldiers…mercenaries are always available on every corner…always have been…

It’s always been about squeezing Russia into an ever smaller box…

Now that Putin has made the military gambit the empire is enraged…you just have to look at the mouth foaming that’s on display 24 / 7…in the media…in DC…in Europe even…

Who cares if it’s a cooked-up gas story…?…so was WMD 15 years ago…so was Gaddafi murdering his own people…so was Milosevic murdering his own people…

The powers that be have rightly calculated that the blood lust of their own miserable people is insatiable…they have nothing better to do with their miserable lives than to pour their hate in any convenient direction that the Bernays masters point them to…just like a stupid, angry dog on a leash who lives a miserable, flea-bitten existence, eating rotten dirt, and chained to a tree… and the only bright moment in life is to be sicked on someone by his cruel master/tormentor…

So that is the nightmare scenario folks…get ready to rock and roll…

Russia now has two choices…either she stops making empty noises about never fighting another war on its soil…or she ends up doing exactly that at some future and unspecified point in time…

Don’t worry…time is irrelevant to the masters of the universe who can stop and start time as they please…

A nuclear war…forget about it…it’s never going to happen…because it’s not in the plan…I wouldn’t lose two winks over that one…

A conventional war…you got it baby…

Where…on Russian soil…unless the Russians draw a line in the sand Now…

There is not much to think about really…

If VVP lets Drumpf and Erdo get the drop on him…he’s toast…

Russia will be presented with brand new facts on the ground very quickly…Turkish tank divisions and all their takfiri mercenaries…a formidable amount of manpower I might add…taking Aleppo city in a heartbeat…they are just outside city limits now…

Idlib province is already in their pocket…so is a good deal of Aleppo province where the Turkish troops are already running things…

What choice do the Russians have at that point…?

They can pack up their bags and get the hell out of dodge…

This will be a stunning defeat the likes of which Russia has not tasted since 1905 when a perfumed prince Emperor decided to take on the gritty Japs…

It will be a major domino to fall…

Then the empire can bleed Russia for 10, 20 years like they did Iraq…Nazis buildup next door in Ukraine can slowly grind along…

Wahabbi foothold on Russia’s southern underbelly…eventually all of Russia’s Western, Caucasus and central Asia border will be lined up with enemy formations the like of which Der Fuehrer could only have dreamed…

This is the slow-death game of backing up…backing up…inch by inch…

At the same time the financial lifeblood of the country will be drained…Don’t think that China is going to come to Russia’s rescue if they have a better offer in gold from the empire…that’s just silly…

Not to mention that Imperial Russia actually hacked of a good bit of China in the Far East not all that long ago…

If VVP and the rest of the gang…and there are some good men there…do not see this writing on the wall then they will surely get the message from the Delco man…

‘…Pay me now…or…Pay me later…’

So what is to be done…?

Tillerson is winging into Moscow to deliver an ultimatum…you can bet your bottom dollar on that one…

Why would anyone on earth think that Drumpf…ever the consummate gold-digger…would not see the beauty of the neocon plan for toppling Russia…?

Whatever read anyone may have on him…the one thing that stands out is that he is the crassest of opportunists…with no shred of moral fiber or anything resembling principle in his rotten bag of celluloid he calls a body…

The fact that he so easily Judased the people who got him where he is should tell you all you need to know…

Why on earth wouldn’t he sell out Russia for a much bigger bag of coin…?

First step that I would do…tell buddy Rexxon that Lavrov is busy right now…and can’t receive him as planned…

As Lavrov should be actually…shuttling back and forth with real allies…Iran…Hezbollah…making war preparations for Syria…

Big order of business is to get as many aircraft stationed in Iran as possible…never mind the case by case basis…the Ayatollahs need to realize that their skin is on the line as much as Russia’s…

Shoigu and military staff need to get the Il-76 transports in the air 24/7…they have enough of them so no worries there…

Get as many Iskander brigades into Syria as possible…a division of crack troops…get the big naval guns steaming into Tartus on the double…the subs should already be there…

It’s to make a stand at the OK corral…

You know…I have had it up to here with all the crackers who are whining about how Russia won’t confront America in Syria and blah blah blah…well to hell with these morons…

Russia has no other choice but to confront America in Syria now…

There will not be a nuclear war…so all the worry warts please just stop…

That’s not how things work in real life…real life is like the schoolyard when you were a kid…either you grow a pair and stand up for yourself or you keep backing down and in no time you find yourself wishing your parents would move so you could go to another school…

There comes a time for confrontation…and there is no need to be afraid of it…or to overthink it or ‘analyze’ it to death…

That time has come…

The first order of business has to be to get the Iskanders moving in…Erdo’s generals know all too well that the Isky can tear a tank army to shreds in no time flat…ask Saakashvili…

And please spare me the bleating from various quarters who deride the ‘laptop warriors’ in the alt-Russian community…

Getting a deterrent in place is the only thing that is going to change the Drumpf and Erdo calculus at this point in time…

Nobody is saying launch the ICBMs…that is not going to happen in our lifetime…it’s not the empire’s plan because they don’t want to die either…in fact they are chickens…not even roosters…which are actually pretty feisty…

All I’m saying is get enough force in place so that Syria can be defended…and the aggression that is so clearly on the horizon deterred…while there is still time…

If Erdo gets cold feet from a serious Russian buildup…the the ball is Drumpf’s court…and he’s not that stupid to send in another Desert Storm army…

And if he decides to up the ante…then Comrade VVP…feel free to call his McChickenass bluff…

While your post is brash and non-diplomatic I think it holds a lot of “bottom-line” truth in it. I don’t think (at first at least) there would be a nuclear war. I think there are red lines for that. And for Russia it is almost certain to be an attack on Russia’s actual borders. And for the US (if they act sanely,uncertain for now) it would be an attack against the US itself.But given the results of a war (who is losing) I think the possibility of using nukes goes up. The best result would be as you say. The war can be won by Russia outside of Russia and without nukes.But we’ll have to see if the Russians are willing to defend their future. Or if it will take an enemy attack on Russia before they act. If so it will be too late to not use nukes.I did think your analysis of the plan for Turkey to attack is very possible. I’ve read others thinking the same way.I have never for more than a minute trusted Erdogon. So I have no doubt he would do something like that.

‘The powers that be have rightly calculated that the blood lust of their own miserable people is insatiable…they have nothing better to do with their miserable lives than to pour their hate in any convenient direction that the Bernays masters point them to…just like a stupid, angry dog on a leash who lives a miserable, flea-bitten existence, eating rotten dirt, and chained to a tree… and the only bright moment in life is to be sicked on someone by his cruel master/tormentor…’

American people – ferocious dog on a chain ?- come on get real – most Americans are spoilt little dogs…really I guess you must be Russian…these type of dogs only exist on Indian reservations – sorry – politically incorrect –

here’s another giveaway that you’re not American

‘That’s not how things work in real life…real life is like the schoolyard when you were a kid…either you grow a pair and stand up for yourself or you keep backing down and in no time you find yourself wishing your parents would move so you could go to another school…’

hahaha don’t you know that bullies are bad??? for the past 15 years there are no bullies in American schools – they get taken out immediately by all the teachers and parents ganging up on them…American kids are whoosies – now they are even transgender buddy…

oh, and one more thing – just because you tell us not to worry wart ourselves because there ain’t gonna be a nuke in the mix – I think maybe cooler heads in Russian high places will think slower and longer than just taking your word for it.

You don’t think honest working class people who built this county are sick and tired of being chained to a life of debt slavery…eating crap and getting kicked around…?

Don’t know when you went to school but for me it was a lot longer than 15 years ago…back then we didn’t have the PC police…if you didn’t learn to smashmouth in a hurry you ended up hanging by your underwear from the toilet door hook…

I think you guys are silly to think that nuclear war is debateable – once the war starts it will be finished by nukes…so there’s alot of hesitation in Moscow to start – starting their side of what’s already a hot war on the other side.

Once war starts there’s no backing down. I’m glad you two – UB and Russian Guy – are here at Saker’s and not there in the Kremlin –

LOL. I like you realistic view . Even with your assessment about China.

It is fact the fight in Syria is not a Chinese fight. It is also a fact that “Not to mention that Imperial Russia actually hacked of a good bit of China in the Far East not all that long ago…”.

The fact is Russia has historically extorted China for ransom, and took a big chunk of China away. There is a old Italian map from 1860s donated to China recently (because it showed Diao Yu was part of China) showed big part of China on that map are now in Russia.

It is fact that the West has returned all the occupied territories of China, and Russia has not.

That aside, Chinese will not be paralyzed by the past and not about to move on for the good of nation and region.

It is obvious that peace and co-existence with Russia is for the best of both country. We have 5 years good time, if we keep it up, in 100, 200, 300 years, then the old bad times will not have any significance.

For China, most importantly, peace at borders, especially the northern border, worth more than any amount of gold in anyone’s vault in term of blood and treasure of the country. China is not know for being short sighted.

So I do not see why China want to do anything but secure the northern border, which is has a stable, friendly government at north, Which means supporting Russia.

However, Syria is Russia’s fight, stand and fight to win, or flee is Russia’s own decision. I am sure China and Russia are in touch on Syria issues and China will help with Russian’s needs.

As the days pass, I’m starting to hold the view that Trump willingly becomes what he is now, a Clinton robot on steroids. Not sure why, but probably he is convinced by the deep state and their foreign allies, that the USA can only survive by maintaining the status quo. America first still, just another meaning. All obstacles will be removed, possibly indirectly to make Trump look clean, while removing opposition in his own party and supporters to his change. Come to this of it, if Trump really is being cornered and forced, a whining tweet or a surprise at a televised speech can garner attention to his predicament and force off the deep state. That Nikki Haley seem comfortable with Trump, despite her running off with her mouth and theatrics.

I believe Trump was sincere and supported the movement. But now it seems that Trump decided that the old path is still the only salvation for the USA. And that makes him a very dangerous and clever opponent for Putin and Xi. Trump should not be under-estimated. He is a Master Persuader, as Scott Adams explained and is still explaining. Note: it did not take long for Erdogan to switch back to his old self.

As for Syria, I think the main target is Russia. Trump wants to put Putin and Russia’s growing international prestige and influence down with the least effort. Probably it will be swift and sudden: a humiliating retreat or defeat of Russia’s forces in Syria with the least US military involvement. Possibly not just a northern invasion by Turkey to take Latakia and Aleppo, but also Israeli + Jordanian + Saudi and US army from the south to take Palmyra + Damascus, while leveling Deir ez-zor to rubbles together with ISIS. Mcmaster seems to be getting all the people he needs into the NSC while Trump says nothing. Remember, Putin’s deeds and ways of doing things were visible and studied. They know. Nobody knows what Trump will be as a president. He is still in the dark.

In other words, Trump might be the something we have never seen before, who could rival Putin and Xi and possibly beat them on the international arena. All the bad company the US had allied with, are now barking in place and awaiting to pounce. The DPR in Novorussia is wise to start the 27,000 mobilization and issuing of arms. All Trump need is a military defeat for Russia with the least action on his part.

Very interesting and well thought. Through… Russia won’t confront America on Syria soil: they will be forced to confront Turkey.
And since Russia has no endless reservoir of soldiers (contrary to USA/EU, which can count on an endless flux of immigrants from everywhere craving for citizenship), they won’t waste their sons fighting Turkey, just to be forced to confront America AFTER that.
If something like that happens, Russia will be forced to use the nuke option: not because Russia likes it, but because she has not enough ground force left to fight the final battle.

Firstly, thank you Saker on the exhaustive analysis. Secondly, I completely agree with you, фланкербандит. You obviously studied Evil Empire’s modus operandi in Iraq and Yugoslavia/Serbia, or, heck, you might have even lived through the hell of Yugoslavia’s death throes as I did myself.

It is exactly it, the fate of Yugoslavia multiplied a thousand times, that awaits Russia and its people(s) if they do not show the crazies that this time they mean business. And, yes, I don’t think there will be any help from the Chinese or anyone else for that matter. I am so sorry but the sad spectacle of Scrooge McDuck bathing in dollars comes to mind. We all have traded our lives for pieces of broken glass and mirrors as did noble but naive native Americans. What can we, keyboard warriors, do? Provide more financial support to sites such as this one prepare ourselves for the proverbial stuff in the fan.

What makes you think Russia would not use strategic nuclear weapon in Syrian war theater if scenario you are predicting becomes reality? I have no doubt that would be the case. Russia is defending Russia in Syria.

First the idea of escalation to nuclear…even tactical [battlefield] nukes…

Here is why this won’t happen…because there is no logic in it…

The first guy to use tactical nukes is basically going to open the doors to an all-out ICBM nuclear exchange…that all-out exchange still may not happen even then…but the tension will be great…

And here is the logic…

Does anyone here actually believe that an all-out ICBM exchange between Russia and US is going to have a ‘winner’…?

That’s crazy…and everyone knows…from Soros on down…

All of the US…Europe and much of Russia will be completely flattened…back to the stone age basically…

This is not the outcome that the empire desires…

As I have said before the rotten empire is run by banksters and robber barons who keep the ordinary people in perpetual serfdom while wallowing in degenerate luxury…with gold-plated private jets and yachts…and even children as sex toys…just ask Jeffrey Epstein…

These people are worms…not warriors…

They have zero courage…

Their ken is all about clever means of swindle…the art of the ripoff…and living off the avails of others…

Do you think these degenerates are going to risk all of this by pushing the nuclear button…?…even if some psychopath generals in their employ might be willing to…they will certainly not allow it…

Second logical reason…

Why should they…?

There is no need to panic…everything is actually sailing along just fine…

If you look at the bottom line of net gains and losses over the last 25 years…the empire has made huge gains…while losing absolutely nothing…

This is a long war in slow motion…a war of attrition…the hyena hunting down the much faster wildebeest by running it to exhaustion…

The empire at this point controls nearly everything…the entire ‘international community’…they control all the levers of power at the UN…they control all the international money…a lock on the international media [propaganda machine]…

They pretty much rule the world already…of course the psychopathic parasite mindset can never get enough…power…money…and the pleasure of inflicting suffering on the subhumans they see as the ‘little people’…

And besides they love their ongoing project of working toward full world domination…it keeps them busy and gives them something to strive for…

But why on earth would they want to risk all of that on mutual self-assured destruction [MAD]…?

They are scared of that like nobody’s business.

And they know full well that they need only to play the waiting game…again like the pack of hyenas…time to them is irrelevant…if their project takes 100 years …so be it…their maggot grandkids will be around to enjoy it if they aren’t…

A nuclear exchange is the very last thing they want… you can take that to the bank…

Think of it this way…do you think the guy siting in the corner office with the gold plated toilet is thinking about getting into some kind of shootout with a bad dude on the street…?…

Sure the bad dude may be thinking of things like that…because he’s desperate and has very little to live for…but Mr. Gold Toilet has everything to live for…and if he’s really concerned about his precious neck then it is easy to hire as many beefnecks as he needs to to do his fighting for him…

Besides…the empire fully believes that at some point in time their ‘great technical minds’ will come up with a new and lethal technology to defeat Russia…for example missile defense…at which point they will win politically without having to fire a shot…and Russia has no option but to bow…

Sidebar: I will say here that this is wishful thinking…one of many ‘blind spots’ in the degenerates’ rear-view mirror…

A degenerate society generally produces very few truly impressive scientific and technical minds that can come up with inventions that change history…

The degenerates are letting their entire education system go to pot…they are even telling young people don’t bother even getting a college degree…won’t do you any good…just go straight into debt bondage without passing GO…

For the long-term this does not bode well for the technical achievements this society will produce…

We can see some signs of this intellectual rot and decay of the scientific/technical infrastructure already…the US is entirely dependent on advanced Russian rocket engines to get their military spy satellites into space…to…LOL…spy on Russia…as PCR points out…

The US astronauts must hitchhike to the space station [whose core command and control module is Russian built] on Russian spacecraft…

US has been hyping its hypersonic scramjet technology for at least the last dozen years and is it all hot air…btw scramjet stands for supersonic combustion ramjet…and is very difficult to achieve because it involves combusting fuel and air that is moving faster than the speed of sound…

In the meantime Russia is getting ready to field a scramjet missile [zirkon] into active duty…

Of course hubris comes with being ‘masters of the universe…’…so it is no wonder that the degenerates think that their well-paid scientists will deliver…but those same scientists see the degenerates living it up and ask themselves ‘why should I sweat it…?’

I could go on for quite a while on the blind spots of the degenerates…but there is a truth that you can take to the bank…

they are absolute cowards who have no intention of suffering any kind of hardship…never mind pain…

So they will never contemplate a nuclear exchange where they stand a good chance of getting roasted…or even slightly burnt…

So what about Russia’s side…?

What if the US backs Turkey into an invasion of Syria…?…will Russians resort to nukes…?

That’s simply crazy…Russia’s stance is purely defensive…her goal is to be able to defend herself…and preferably in a way that would inflict far greater losses on the enemy than the enemy could on her…

They have suffered enough pain…

So there is zero chance of any kind of nuclear confrontation while the degenerate empire is still up and running…

Naturally people have fears about nuclear war…and probably the degenerates feed that fear to some extent in order to scare the sheeple and bring them shivering under their control…

If Russia is confronted with a massive Turkish invasion of Syria as I fully expect…then she will either put enough of a credible deterrent into theater [conventional weapons] to stop the project in its tracks…or she will slink away with her tail between her legs…

Flankie boy :) … mate … what a rompin’ good read! Realism. The way you describe the grinding modus operandi of the Azi Empire is refreshing.

Plus, you all but admitted that nukes don’t exist even though you explicitly maintain they do. Here’s the deal, man:

*If* nukes exist and if the scenario unfolds along the lines of a Turkish and/or Usanian invasion of Syria as you predict, than Russia could totally deny the Azi game by using the much-vaunted “tactical nukes” that are flying about the main and comment sections of this blog.

Have a problem with a Usanian or Turkish troup and tank concentration in some corner of the country? “A few mechanized divisions”? Simply send a nuke and the problem dematerializes. Instantly. No recovery. Gone for good. And what do you want?! They were invading! Self-defense. It’s about drawing a line in the sand. “They counted on Russia to be passive. They counted wrong.”

At this point it’s safe to say that Turkey will leave the game. So will the “ziogay” (courtesy vot tak) EU softies. Turkey cannot risk attacking or allowing Uncle Sam to attack Russian or Syrian troups with nukes from Turkish soil because the retaliation would hit home on Turkish soil. The stakes would be sky high and Incirlik would be a very legitimate target. There would be wild panic in Turkey and all of Europe … and some other places.

It’s about drawing a line in the sand.

So that leaves Uncle Sam in Iraq and Jordan, basically in desert camps. We understand that ICBMs (which don’t exist either, but let’s assume, as you do, that they do) cannot be used because of MAD. So no one will use them. Fine.

But what about some nukie nukie in the desert? Why not? By your logic, would the ever grinding Azi Empire put its tail between its legs, count its losses and give up? Or would it not rather grind down? To retaliate by tactical nuke? To nuke or not to nuke?

Now do you realize how close all of this is to the beloved state of Israel? Isn’t Israel, in contrast to all the Muslim camel herders, supposed to be somehow … precious? Isn’t that a Trump Card for Russia? Knowing how Usanians just *looove* Israel? Now would Uncle Sam grind down and risk losing the precious jewel of Israel in the process?

I tell you what. If nukes are real and if there’s an invasion, Russia will use them for military reasons on military targets in legitimate self-defense, and she will use them first and decisively. Remember who said: “One thing the streets of St. Petersberg taught me: If you know the fight is unavoidable, be sure to strike first!” And that’s what will happen because it will make Russia the military winner.

Yes, there would be condamnation, from the usual ziogay suspects, but Uncle Sam has p!ssed off so much of the planet that Schadenfreude will be sky high and so will be admiration for Russia and the line in the sand where the Azi Empire was finally pushed back.

And Russia will keep nukes in Syria, right next to Israel. In fact, the Golan will be returned, and nukes will be placed right there. Talk about instant holocaust. Should they muck in the wrong direction – Sodom and Gomorrha.

Okay, this is how nuke fanboys see the world.

But, as is clear to anybody using their brain as intended by their Maker, nukes are nothing but a silly bombastic bugaboo. So Russia will need to find a conventional solution. We agree the only thing to stop the Azi Empire is force, so it has to be along the lines of force.

@ Фланкербандит on April 11
As an answer to your comment, I’m reposting two of my comments on April 5 and April 6, and my personal opinion regarding very important points in your comment.
April 06, 2017 · at 1:33 am UTC
The differences between Sunni and Shi’a are a joke, but they are sworn enemies since 1400 years ago. During the seventh century, there was a schism led to a civil war. The two sides became known as Sunni and Shia, and they hated one another, and divided ever since. This ancient sectarian hatred, simmering just beneath the surface for centuries, explains the Sunni-Shia violence today in places such as Syria Iraq and Iran, as well as the worsening tensions between Saudi Arabia, which is officially Suni, and Iran Which is officially Shia. This is literally ancient history. Today’s divide between Sunni and Shia isn’t primarily about religion, and it is not ancient: It is quite recent, and much of it is driven by politics, not theology.
Suni-Shia sectarianism is indeed tearing apart the Middle East, but is largely driven by the very modern and very political rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia. They have sought to fight one another on Sunni-Shia lines not of religious hatred but rather because they see sectarianism as a tool they can use-thus making that religious division much more violent and fraught. So there it is a lot of meat over there, and takes the lion’s share whoever controls the money supply.
Anonymous on April 05, 2017 · at 6:37 pm UTC
20 dead here, 15 dead there. This isn’t a war. Just a series of small fist fights. What is the Russian Air Force actually doing?
The phase of peaceful protester it is over.
The phase of guerilla militant’s war it is over.
The phase of well-armed and trained militants is escalating.
They are able to match the Syrian army gun per gun and tank for tank.
The Russian aerospace it is a joke.
Now the US (NATO) is in, and soon we will see what is planed long time ago and will be implemented NOW.
Assad cannot deal with an Opposition army very well equipped, with unlimited capitals and with full NATO support. Air cover, Armor, Artillery and with well-trained unlimited manpower.
It took them one year to watch what Russian were capable to do in Syria, and now they are stepping in to finish the job.
Sorry for many Russian lives lost in Syria, targeted selectively by High Tech adversaries.

What Russian can do against NATO?
Not too much. Why?
The regime change in Russia around 1990, and the reconstruction of a New Russian Elite incapacitated very severely this Nation. Since then, during a period of 20 years irreversible transformations happens, resulting in full control of the West to Russia (Economically, Financially and Politically).
The so-called ”Elite” is the ruling, and the political part of the Nation, and this part is pro Western.
Even if the IVAN (Russian MUZHIK), would weaken up from the very long Hibernation; Russia didn’t have enough time, capitals and manpower to confront in a head on collision with NATO.
Regarding the Trump:
Trump is very unpredictable, he is not only tolerating the chaos, but he is the part of creating the chaos.
Regarding the nuclear confrontation.
The question is how many active thermonuclear warheads Russia has?
The thermonuclear warheads has two ingredient Deuterium and Tritium.
The half-life of tritium is 12.3 years.
So in 12.3 years half of the mass of Tritium is gone, and in 25 years 75% of the mass of the Tritium in the thermonuclear warheads is gone.
So from 1992 up to day, was Russia able to produce all the needed amount of Tritium for the 7000 + warheads?
I do not think so. Tritium is the radioactive isotope of the element hydrogen. Tritium is used in research and is an ingredient of the thermonuclear weapon. I doubt that Russia has the means to compensate all the Tritium lost in thermonuclear heads, during last 25 Years.
Where we are going?
I feel that we are going toward an Unipolar World, inside the frame of the “Limits to Growth”.
James Paul Warburg (August 18, 1896 – June 3, 1969) was a German-born American banker. He was well known for being the financial adviser to Franklin D. Roosevelt. He gained some notice in a February 17, 1950, appearance before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in which he said, “We shall have world government, whether or not we like it. The question is only whether world government will be achieved by consent or by conquest.”

‘…The question is how many active thermonuclear warheads Russia has?
The thermonuclear warheads has two ingredient Deuterium and Tritium…’

Ok…thanks for the question…

I’m not a chemist or nuclear physicist…

First you are correct that Tritium has a half-life of only 12 years…and it is used in small quantities in the thermonuclear weapon…ie hydrogen bomb…but not as the fuel…rather as a ‘booster’ of the so-called ‘primary’ stage which is an implosion-type fission bomb…

The fuel used in the secondary fusion stage…which releases the huge energy of the weapon…is lithium-6…which is a stable isotope…

‘…Lithium-6 is valuable as the source material for the production of tritium (hydrogen-3) and as an absorber of neutrons in nuclear fusion reactions. Natural lithium contains about 7.5 percent lithium-6, with the rest being lithium-7. Large amounts of lithium-6 have been separated out for placing into hydrogen bombs. The separation of lithium-6 has by now ceased in the large thermonuclear powers, but stockpiles of it remain in these countries. Lithium-6 is one of only three stable isotopes with a spin of 1…’

And who knows what other isotopes besides lithium 6 or lithium 7 are useful for pairing with deuterium? The US and Russian did thousands of nuclear tests with energy and pressure capable of testing fusion events. Then both Russia and US banned nuclear testing. What secrets did they find?

Modern bombs use tritium boosting gas. Tritium has a half life of about 12 and a quarter years, and as such must be regularly replaced to maintain the ability to yield properly. The amount of tritium is about 15 grams per warhead and cost $35000 per gram. For 7200 warheds the cost is around $3.2 billions.
The secondary, or fusion component, of a modern nuclear weapon contains lithium compounds, as Lithium Deuteride; lithium, as a rather reactive metal, will decompose over time as it is exposed to moisture and chemicals in the air. As such, it must be replaced regularly. There are 2 more components that cannot last forever too.
Thermonuclear warheads has a shelf life, and most of them are more than 40 years old.
Thus, weapons could be expected to last around 2-3 years without a complete overhaul; however, regular minor maintenance is probably undertaken much more often.

Hi Saker,
I suspect you and a collegiate blogger at The Duran {ADAM GARRIE} were both writing and then posting around the same time!

There is a common thinking in both your posts, expressed individually, of course.

Here’s why Russia doesn’t want to fight the United States in Syria
ADAM GARRIERussia’s historical suffering through bloody wars has made the Russian state and Russia people averse to further conflict.
If one wants to know why the modern Russian state and the Russian people are so averse to war, just take a look and the following charts.

Conservative estimates for Soviet deaths in the Great Patriotic War/Second World War are just over 26 million. Other scholars take the aggregate total of deaths including those who died from starvation and disease at around 40 million.

Every Russian alive today either knows, or is related, to someone who fought in the Great Patriotic War.

Is it any wonder that Russians do not share the same zeal for war as those who have numerically and dare I say emotionally, not experienced the hell of war as sharply and as painfully?

It is as easy and as disgusting for alt-media trolls sitting behind their laptops to talk about Russia ‘lobbing nukes’ to show America Russia means business as it is for cretins like fake news merchant Brian Williams to call an unprovoked missile attack which killed innocent people ‘beautiful’.

In spite of this, many in the nominally pro-Russian alt-media seem to salivate at the concept of Russia engaging with the United States in a Third World War.

Copying aggressive, militant and preemptive neo-con strategies, only under a Russian flag, is not the solution to the mess that Donald Trump has created in Syria, nor is it what any mainstream Russian politician wants, whether President Putin or opposition leaders Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Gennady Zyuganov.
Contrary to inaccurate reports, the Russian government and main opposition leaders are speaking with a generally unified voice; one that is calm but stern, angry and prepared but not vengeful nor fanatical.

As much as many would like Russian foreign policy to be as unpredictable, imperious and rash as that of the United States, this would be foolish.

One doesn’t fight madness with madness.

Russia understands this, many people who fail to understand Russian history and culture do not.

1.”I don’t think that anybody seriously believes that Assad or anybody else in the Syrian government really ordered a chemical weapons attack on anybody.”

I think there are some. Not in the leadership of countries ,maybe. But among the people brainwashed by Western propaganda. I think those millions “do” believe it. They buy the propaganda from the MSM. They don’t have enough knowledge of the facts to recognize how foolish that story is. They take it on face value. An example of that is the “Russiagate” story. People with deductive reasoning see that as “fake news”. But there are millions of Americans that “actually” believe it.And that is an “internal” issue. With foreign issues they trust the regime and MSM even more. After Iraq and with most everyone (not everyone) understanding how we were lied to. You still have many people applauding the strikes in Syria. In the US,scandals are forgotten quickly when the next one “pops up” and replaces it.

2. “Now the Russians have withdrawn from their agreement with the USA and, even more importantly, have have declared that the Syrians urgently need more advanced air defense capabilities. Currently the Syrians operate very few advanced Russian air defense systems, most of their gear is old.”

Are the Russians really going to give the Syrians (maybe with Russian operators and trainers) the air defense systems to stop US attacks. I believe they should. But except for talk I haven’t heard of any actions taking place to do it. If they are going to,they need to hurry. As we saw last week,the US could/would attack at any time.

3. “All that most American people care about is whether the illegal action brings victory or not. ”

There you hit the nail on the head.American culture is built on the ideology of “winning”. The bottom line in almost anything is “did you win”. I suspect that is “somewhat” true in most cultures. But I know for a fact it is in the US.

4. “My son perfectly summed up what Trump’s actions have resulted in: “those who hated him still hate him while those who supported him now also hate him“. Wow! How did Trump and his advisors fail to predict that? Instead of fulfilling his numerous campaign promises (and his own Twitter statements) Trump decided to suddenly make a 180 and totally betray everything he stood for. I can’t think of a dumber action, I really can’t. I have to say that Trump now appears to make Dubya look smart. But there is much, much worse.”

Yes,for a “smart guy”,Trump made a huge error. He handed his enemies the rope to hang him with. His “haters” will always hate him. And he gave the neo-cons the way to get rid of him unless he obeys them.If he now says he doesn’t want more war. The neo-cons can join the “liberals” and accuse him of breaking US law in attacking Syria without Congress approval. Not that they care about that. And certainly as long as he obeys them it won’t matter. But unlike the “Russiagate” attack.They now have a “real” reason available to impeach him on. So they can use that for blackmail anytime he gets too “frisky” for them.

5.”And just to make sure that the message gets through, the latest US harpy at the UNSC threatens the DPRK with war.”

True, its crazy. Remember how over the years the MSM described NK as crazy when they threatened the US with war if we attacked them. But when it concerns the US its “backwards”. Its fine for the US to threaten war,”finalize” plans to murder foreign leaders,etc. But if those countries return those threats they are “automatically” insane.The “exceptional” hypocrisy is mind-numbing.

6.”First, the easy answer: the Europeans. They can do nothing. They are irrelevant. They don’t even exist. At least not in the political sense.”

I beg to differ here.They can and do, do something. They cheer the US on. Especially the British. And the Eastern European countries. They are like,when two boys are fighting,and one boy’s friends are saying ,”you got him,hit him again. Smash him, he ain’t got nothing”.Encouraging the fight. We hear that out of Britain and East Europe constantly (in slightly different words). Boris Johnson and Fallon in particular are “enablers” involved in all this.

7.”Russia and China can stop the US, but they need to do that together. And for that, Xi needs to stop acting like a detached smiling little Buddha statue and speak up loud and clear. That is especially true since the Americans show even less fear of China than of Russia.”

Yes,that is a key problem.I hear some say that China wouldn’t do anything because of the vast economic relations they have with the US. But China needs to ask themselves what good are economic riches when you are enslaved. What would China be if the US didn’t exist. They would still be China. And they would figure out how to do without the US trade. That is what nations do if they want to survive. They don’t let blackmail stop them from surviving. If China wants to be “friends” with the US their choice is clear. Give “Turkestan” independence. Give Tibet independence. Renounce any claim on Taiwan,and the islands in the SC Sea or those nearer to Japan. Stop friendship with Russia and North Korea. And open what would be left of their economy to US control.Those are the actions required to “for a while” stop the US aggression against China. Its simple,they can do those things and “maybe” that will be good enough for the US. Or they can start to stand up for themselves. Certainly it might in the short-run hurt their economy. But in the long-run if they want to have an economy free of outside control they will need to “bite the bullet” and stand up for themselves. They have Russia (for now) willing to stand up with them.

8. “Alas, I am afraid that the plutocracy in power will never allow that. The way the crushed Trump in one month tells me that they will do that to anybody who is not one of their own. So while hope is always a good thing, and while I like dreaming of a better future, I am not holding my breath. I find a sudden and brutal collapse of the Anglo-Zionist Empire followed by a break-up of the USA (as described here) far more likely.”

Yes,as I’ve posted in several (many) other posts.I have no faith in the US reforming itself without outside pressure. The rot has become too “exceptionally” deep over the last 25 or so years.

“They cheer the US on. Especially the British. ”
You are understating the involvement of the ever-perfidious Albion by at least an order of magnitude.
The special relationship means that the really, really dirty work is done by the Poms; always has been.
And at the centre of the filth you will find the Soames and Serco ; ask Hilary.

There is a mind set now on international trade which is often not justified. China is big, with many people — potential consumers for domestic production — and trading partners in other nations, including Russia, of course.
If the flying saucer people transported the US and it’s colonies to another galaxy, there would be some chaos and difficulties but it would not be that long before the world got on just fine without them. The great Chinese economic ‘miracle’ could have been accomplished internally if it had been properly managed. After all, they did manage to muddle through for several thousand years.

It isn’t like the US produces so much in critical goods — they mostly do financial whiz-bang now, and no one really needs the US to do that. It’s a scam.

Totally correct. Uncle Sam is a big fat parasite. He consumes much more than he produces. Consumption inflates the GDP, a flawed measure. Las Vegas gambling nonsense increases Uncle Sam’s GDP. Anyone can see there’s no productivity there. And a big part of what Uncle Sam produces is military. It’s a GDP of death and destruction. Uncle Sam is totally dispensable.

“Are the Russians really going to give the Syrians (maybe with Russian operators and trainers) the air defense systems to stop US attacks. I believe they should. But except for talk I haven’t heard of any actions taking place to do it. If they are going to,they need to hurry. As we saw last week,the US could/would attack at any time.”

Of course they are Why wouldn’t they ?- I don’t understand why you doubt that – its good for business and it needs to happen and it would be the greatest chess move of all – I don’t understand your doubt…I mean I know you’re disappointed because Russia hasn’t already started the end war of all wars in Ukraine – you have never gotten over that yet – but this – selling better weapons to Syria – is not the beginning of the end for Russia…

The US empire is not going to implode or crumble.
Hell, Ukraine is not going to implode or crumble.

Where have we seen implode and crumble? In Socialist Paradises, Cuba is shaky, Venezuela, Brazil is heading that way, Argentina is spitting up blood.

Even a moribund Japan, irradiated for years now from Fukishima, hasn’t imploded and crumbled. It’s been in the toilet for 20+ years, yet has billions for investment, and is in fact, investing in Russia.

So, Saker, aside from that rant, the good part of your typo-infested article (I can get away with that comment because I live thousands of miles away from Saker, and he can’t get his hands on me, and knows I’m teasing him) is realism about what Russia can and cannot do militarily in Syria.

Also, the analysis of China, which now has two very clear views of Trump and US policy. To say there is no coherent foreign policy is to miss the obvious. Hegemony. It relies on projection of Power. Cruise missiles and carrier task forces. Great show. It’s very real again. And dangerous.

The Chinese are in the exact same box as Russia. They face containment and destruction as a competitor to the Hegemon. Russia faces containment (of its gas and oil sales), China faces loss of import of commodities and export of products from naval strangulation (US Naval goal).

Both China and Russia are targets because of Eurasia-OBOR development. Here’s where Iran comes in. If the Hegemon allows that project of development of 4.5 Billion people to get rolling, the containment won’t work and the Hegemon will shrivel and recede from unipolar control.

If you look at the SCO and who is in and who is waiting to get in and who wants to be invited in, the Hegemon cannot allow it. So to Eurasia.

Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Italy, Greece, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, Mongolia, Japan, So. Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Hungary, and Belarus for starters all want a piece of Eurasia-New Silk Road development investment from China and the AIIB and half of them want or are in SCO.

Russia’s EAEU is now being integrated with OBOR. And everyone wants Russian defense systems, and a lot of military jets, tanks, subs, et al.

This is why the Hegemon is back up and spitting fire. The West is shrinking in the face of all these emerging and developing nations. The only weapons the West can use is finance and sanctions.

China will take this Trump profile (or personality disorder) and fill it with “dumplings” and “Peking duck”. They have been at these games for centuries and millennia. The US cannot scare them into inaction. But what the so will be strategic and not seen easily.

China must have Russia. It would be crushed if Russia was nulled out.
Similarly, Russia must have China.

This situation will bind the two militaries much closer. And their geopolitical moves will be more coordinated. It looks like China doesn’t want to get dirty in Syria.
But it needs Iran and Iraq and Syria stabilized. Those are oil nations and will also in Iran’s case provide gas to South Asia as China develops Pakistan and Afghanistan (and maybe India comes along after Modi).

Big armies of Iran, Egypt, Pakistan add dimensions to Russia and China. They are not in play for the Hegemon and clearly want Russia and China as multi-polar superpowers to tame the beast.

Both Russia and China also want nuclear non-proliferation and diplomatic, political settlements not wars as “solutions”.

Yes, the Hegemon is back with a man who knows how to throw weight around.
But Trump will be a failure without economic changes in the US. And he may have gone against his past speeches and historic tweets, but his brain hasn’t changed one cell. He knows war is death to his historic Presidency. He has to put America First and MAGA. War is not the path to either.

He needs to be killing ISIS and AQ, not thinking of killing Assad and Russians.
I think he will do one more war action, in NK, and then he will stand down and bear down on domestic issues. He is in more deep trouble than anyone imagined.
The Elites and the System in Congress are not giving him anything he needs.

He cannot be a wartime President, even a little war like the Syrian gamble to build and hold safe zones in order to dice up the nation. Flying in the hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid needed for safe zones will be easy pickings for MANPADS. It will make dropping into Kabul look like a picnic. C5s and C130s will be shot down by loyal, patriotic Syrian “volunteers”. Like the Green Zone became untenable, so will these zones.

The reality is the US has to take care of America First.
He has no mandate or support from the people for staying in Syria.
And the Sunni Arab backers of ISIS and AQ will never be able to replace the US or NATO on the ground. Just can’t happen. They never have been worth crap in real war. While people in safe zones live in tents and wood shacks, the Chinese will be rebuilding real modern Syrian cities. We know they can do it in months, not years.

Who will want to stay in the Safe Zones?

Trump is capable of reversing instantly. He will have to.
He bought some good press. He resurrected the Hegemon.
MIC is happy.
His 65 million voters, however, are perplexed and deeply worried he has been co-opted or lied to them.
And he just delivered his one big domestic victory, Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
The rest of his program and promises are stuck in the Swamp.

China will sell him pumps, but can’t help him pump it out.
Russia can hold fire and not cost him any military setbacks.
But if he slaps more sanctions and tries to throw that heavy Hegemonic weight around the world, he will not make a deal with anyone that matters.

Too many enemies internally. Too few allies. So easy to “one term” him, or begin impeachment if he walks into a disaster. DC wants him gone.

I can’t see him getting anything with Putin. Trump can rationalize that. But then all he has is China. And the CPC is 3000 minds against his. And more billionaires than in the US. And one million millionaires. They are not just one guy on the other side of the table from Trump. China is very hard to move. Come as the Hegemon and the Panda turns Dragon.

He has to show a coherent Trump foreign policy. It must include the defeat of ISIS and AQ. He has messed that up bigly. Syria was on the verge of victory this year.
With Russia and US cooperation, they could have been finished by Sept.

Since he won’t even meet with Putin until G20, in July, Trump has boxed himself in. Maybe he will have the guts to challenge the Deep State and Khazarians who refuse to let him deal with Putin. By July, Syria will have a new reality. It will be another American disaster if Mattis’ plans go forward.

I suspect Putin will let Trump stomp into the self-made trap. Trump should be very familiar with sand traps from his golf courses and playing the sport. The Syrian sand trap will be a colossal end to the big man’s game. Time will run out on his programs in Congress, and Syria will devour his presidency.

Here are a couple of additional points from an admittedly over the top source…

Japan’s Sankei Shimbun news reported on the 9th that the Syrian missile strike by the United States shocked China, and reports that the People’s Liberation Army forces are moving toward the Yalu River.

“The newspaper said the move was a medical and aft support unit for the Shenyang bulb (the northern light bulb).

There is an observation that medical and back-up support units will be dispatched to “train for North Korean refugees,” the newspaper added.

On the same day, the Northern Bulb of China’s Tohoku District Defense Command issued orders to all the submarine and submarine units on the same day, as it deployed the 16th, 23, 39, and 40th group troops in the North Korean border area.

These media say that the Kiryuolbun and the Foal Eagle training exercises of the U.S. and South Korea will end the month after this month when the emergency situation on the Korean peninsula is eradicated and Kim Jong Un and the North Korean leadership are removed and the weapons of mass destruction of North Korea are destroyed.

The core Chinese Army units that respond immediately to the drastic changes in North Korea are the 39th group and the 40th group, each of which has its headquarters in Yingkou and Jinzhou in Liaoning Province. The 39th group is a heavy army mechanized unit and the 40th group is the rapid reaction group. “https://www.superstation95.com/index.php/world/3642

It is also important to note that empty chemical weapons containers have been pictured at the Syrian base. They are, however, containers that were left over from on site neutralization of the agents back in 2014,:
Sarhttps://www.superstation95.com/index.php/world/3625

The 39th I know for certain was heavily involved in the Korean War. They are not about to go spill blood of North Korean troops.
They have many brethren buried in North Korea. It is sacred ground for many of these units.

This is symbolism for US misinterpretation. It’s working. People think the Chinese are lining up to assist the US. I’d say, unless NK lobs a missile their way, the Chinese are backing NK forever.

How they construct that militarily is pretty clear. They won’t allow the US or S.K. to take over NK and dominate the Peninsula. This is like Donbass to Russia. Chinese blood and Chinese Communist Party ideology are blended in the national histories of both nations.

What it signals also is the very high probability of another Trump missile attack.
It may also be bomber attack to demonstrate the Hegemon’s heaviest hits.
To take out the nuclear program, the US will have to destroy mountains. So this is mostly going to be strike against the missile program (launch sites).

China is signaling to Kim that they are standing behind NK, not him. And it might be a signal to the military that it would be a good time to relieve themselves of their glorious leader. China will assist them maintain stability and order.

Behind those Chinese troops would be 300,000 more quickly added.
And the Russians would provide whatever airlift and air power China thought they could use. Russians flew in the Korean War and died there also. It is a strategic piece of Earth that neither China nor Russia will allow to fall into US control.

No one wants Kim to remain. How he goes is problematic. But he either grabs hold of reality or he will be gone. Talks will have to start soon and some rational path down from the brink will have to clear.

Meanwhile, Trump will strike unless some back channel “proof” comes out of Pyongyang that a solution is possible.

What difference would getting rid of Kim make?
What exactly should – or even could – NK do to de-escalate the situation?
Get rid of their nuclear weapons?

OK . Let’s go back to the 1990s when NK had no nuclear weapons. Even back then the US was intent on destroying the country. During the nineties there existed a so-called “sunshine policy” of increasing cooperation between the 2 Koreas.
Then came Bush and the list of countries the US intended to destroy of which NK was one.
The government of North Korea acquired nuclear weapons quite rightly after they saw what the US and gang did to Iraq.
What is the difference between Russia’s right to self defence and North Korea’s?
There is no difference.
So let’s be clear – US warmongering towards NK has nothing to do with nuclear weapons. America’s malevolence towards this tiny country goes back decades.
NK’s nuclear weapons have possibly in fact saved the country from a Libya or Lraq fate.
The real reason the US wants to destroy North Korea is because it exists outside the Zionist banking system of control and we should stand up for it’s right to defend itself which in fact is all that it’s doing.
The subject of who is “Leader” of the country is a matter for the North Korean people.

The “Korean crisis” is much easier to solve than Syria or Ukraine. If there was the will to do it. China along with Russia and the US (yes I know the US isn’t trustworthy. Which is why China and Russia need to be involved),need to guarantee the neutrality of the Korean Peninsula. They need to guarantee that an attack on either North or South Korea will not be tolerated. And then China needs to aid North Korea’s economy to develop.Russia doesn’t have the money for that. And the US even if they had the money wouldn’t use it to aid North Korea.But its important for China to have a stable country on her border. And especially one that isn’t constantly under attack by the US.I think South Korea would like that idea as well.Not fearing attack from the North. And not having to be controlled by the US should appeal to them as well. Unlike some,I don’t see Kim as insane. I see him as being afraid of US aggression.Without that worry its quite possible he could be convinced to make major changes in North Korea. But for something like that to happen. Both China and Russia will need to act.And there lays the problem.As of today neither seems to be willing to act to end this crisis.

In 2000 there were 8 nations still outside the control of that “Zionist banking system.”
They were Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria.

The first 4 have seen the light and converted.
Cuba (decades of sanctions did squat) is now being enticed with promises at the moment while Iran and North Korea have a small respite while they wait to be offered Syria’s choice: “Convert or die!”

Thank you for a detailed and informed analysis of recent events. I’m a bit surprised that you still hold out some hope or optimism for the American political system, which is owned by the corporations (which, in turn, are owned by the plutocrats). Sadly, I think it entirely possible that the Zionists will feel perfectly free to goad the American “gorilla” into a war with Russia, under the illusion that Israel will survive and prosper in the Aftermath–or at least that their sponsors will prevail! Delusional, yes, but consistent with past behavior.
The American people are “insouciant”, to use PCR’s favorite adjective. Blind and carefree. They still think war is a disaster that happens to other people. I’m confident that Vladimir Putin has instructed his military to inform him exactly what actions NATO would have to take in order to require a Russian response. The next war will not be fought in Russia.

I am not on Twitter, so someone Please post Saker’s quote: “…when confronted with the ruthless opposition of the Neocons and the US deep state, Trump snapped and instantly broke because he is clearly completely spineless and has the ethics and morals of a trailer park prostitute.”

Good article. Congratulations. What is left out is the UN. Is it relevant? What caused the decay and how can it be mended? Has the UN failed in its’ mandate to protect? Is their a logical reason why those that violate International Law are not being prosecuted? Is the UN and the Charter, International Law a scam? Is their a need to have it replaced and the rules, all or part of, replaced or amended?
I believe that to tackle the problems with rogue states like the US is to fix the UN, International Law, ICC, ICJ and have its’ head office removed from the US.
Is their a reason why there has been next to no discussions on this relevant topic because it affects everyone globally.

The easiest way to stop the US battering Syria with Tomahawk missiles is to give Syria mobile land based, domestic version Kalibr missiles.
The next time Tomahawk missiles are fired at Syria the Syrians could take out the ships or subs that are firing them.
Russia need not be involved.

Saker,
You said Trump has “the ethics and morals of a trailer park prostitute.” I think that’s an insult to trailer park prostitutes. Seriously.
You also said Americans do not and will not want war. You assume rational actors here. Don’t you remember the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003—or, for that matter, 1991? Americans love war…as long as they win. Just wait: the slogan “Better dead than Red” (from the 1950s) will pop up again soon; never mind that communism is dead in Russia.
(Vietnam was an exception to Americas’ love of war only because too many members of the middle class were casualties over there and the war dragged on with no victory in sight. Americans don’t mind the endless wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because the casualties are low and the casualties come from the lower orders who enlisted rather than being drafted.)
Please comment on the possibility that the USA plans to present Russia with two fronts of hostile actions: in Syria, of course, but also in Eastern Europe—most likely Ukraine, but perhaps Latvia instead. Plus more terrorist attacks within Russia. Those things would stretch the Russians to their limits, yes?
Further, please comment on the possibility that Russia’s allies will present the USA with a new front of war (Korea) or a renewal of much higher conflicts in Iraq. Perhaps that would (finally) give the American public pause, as it would stretch the US armed forces beyond their limits and require not only a calling up of the National Guard but a renewal of the draft (assuming it doesn’t all quickly go nuclear).
Thank you for your posting. It was a wonderful summary of what has happened and of what might and could happen.

A veritable ‘piece de resistance’ from the VineyardSaker.
” Australia and New Zealand belong to the ECHELON/FIVE EYES gang. ”
NZ’s misguided affiliation to the “Empire of Chaos” as Pepe Escobar calls the USA, is going to take us down the gurgler with the evangelical Christians controlling the U.S. who it must be remembered believe in the ‘Rapture’.
Don’t underestimate the role runaway abrupt global warming is playing in this dichotomy.
We are in early stage runaway, only a nuclear winter will slow it down. I believe that is what they are cooking up for us.
Brace for imminent impact.https://kevinhester.live/2016/06/15/the-inevitability-of-nuclear-war-and-subsequent-nuclear-winter/

Thank you Saker, for the analysis and I hope you are right. There are several indications, however, pointing to somewhat different scenarios. For one thing, American political mentality equates politeness and courtesy with weakness. I have observed it, especially in corporations, in instances where the ‘John Wayne’ manager types berated (when the subject was absent) other colleagues and their ‘weakness’ for being polite. I have actually witnessed a large corporation being literally ruined by the ‘John Wayne’ newly installed management type and mentality.
I wish to believe that the Russian position reflects strategy and not fear. I equally like to think that the Russian foreign ministry has by now well understood that bullies are strong with the weak and weak with the strong.
The US apparatchit, from the top to the last ass-licking servant, has no concept of morality. Witness as an example this brief extract from MSNBC where the interviewer, (of course paid millions for reading from scripts) “praises” the “beauty” of the US missiles. The idea that 14 Syrian people had to die, to appease the sickening lust for war of the ruling US elites, never crossed this fu…ng goon’s mind.https://youtu.be/wcbYM_Rdm0o
Still, this is the material and the people that Russia and the sane part of the world have to deal with. They will not be stopped by courtesy or by referring to “international law” to which their stock answer is “f…k you.”
Finally 2/3 of the neocons are Talmudists. Trump’s daughter, to marry the Talmudic husband, had to convert to Talmudism. Otherwise she would remain a “shiksa.” Which in the Talmudic religion is not much above the level of a whore, for being Christian or otherwise non-Talmudic.
I still think that the weight, influence and power of Talmudism in the US is not fully understood.

I just sent in one comment, and so am a bit embarrassed about adding this one. But many of the replies focused on China. And I believe they missed some points:

1. Xi was taken by surprise while at dinner with Trump, as to the cruise missile attack. Regardless, China has never acted hastily. Ever. To demand that China speak up is, well, an enthocentric error. They will come up with something, to be sure. But not as a knee-jerk reaction. Hence, not even any rhetoric…yet.

2. Yes, China needs exports to the USA, badly. However, the USA needs China’s purchase of Treasury bonds far more. It isn’t a mutually assured destruction situation. If the American economy collapses, American society collapses, and we’ll be under martial law to deal with all the riots. True, if the Chinese economy collapses, China will be under martial law too. But that would be a lot easier to accomplish there…and more acceptable, given (a) the nature of Chinese culture, historically, and (b) that the Chinese would see that America started the economic war.

3. America will not “go back to building things” if its economy collapses. That takes time. And the American public won’t be patient. China will simply keep on building things.

4. Yes, China has a problem with a housing bubble, bad loans, etc.. And China might go into a Depression as a result. But, again, China would not only endure, it would prevail. Compare: the USA before, during, and after the 1930s.

5. Perhaps most important of all, the US dollar is the world’s reserve currency. It’s what has enabled Americans to have a far higher standard of living, for generations now, than other nations—because our biggest export is IOUs in the form of dollars. If the dollar collapses, it’s over for America. Permanently…unless Special Drawing Rights are used to save us I strongly suspect the Dark State is pushing so hard to wrap things up as to global hegemony because the threats to the dollar are growing, and the dollar is already living on borrowed time.

6. Yes, the Chinese did cede their entire eastern coast to Imperial Russia. (1760s?) And China wants it back, no doubt. But the Chinese think in terms of centuries, it’s said. Someday, they’ll make a deal with Russia to save Russia’s hide…in return for (later) getting its eastern seaboard back. But first things first.

7. China wants to be #1. Even the characters for “China” actually mean “the Middle Kingdom” (between Heaven and Earth). China well remembers that it had the most advanced civilization on earth for centuries…and that, for centuries, the round-eyes treated China like dirt (and even their fellow Asians, the Japanese, joined in for over half-a-century). They want “revenge,” in the form of regaining what they see as their rightful place as hegemon. They will not “cut a deal” to screw Russia, because they know they (the Chinese) cannot stand up to America alone, and they will not accept—as a long-term goal—merely playing second fiddle to Uncle Sam. They’re playing a deep game against the Deep State.

8. I apologize for appearing to strike a pose as an expert on China. I’m not. But I think the above thoughts are valid, and a real “China hand” would agree with me. A reading of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, and The Chinese Machiavelli (I forget the authors’ names–Bloodworths, I think), and a few others on “the Chinese mind” would really help anyone who wants to consider what China might do and how they’d go about it. I also apologize for this long post. For those of you who’ve read all of it, I hope it proved at least somewhat worthwhile.

I did not mean to even remotely suggest that the Chinese would want to treat white nations the way the white nations treated the Chinese, let alone that the Chinese would want to engage in anything even remotely comparable to the Rape of Nanjing.

But I do think they want a subtle—note, subtle (they are Chinese, remember)—acknowledgment that China is #1 (if and when that point is reached), and sits at the head of the table. No violence, no open contempt for others. Just an unvoiced understanding among all concerned as to who is now top dog.

Everything you mentioned as China’s goals is fully consistent with that.

I guess sub-consciously, we all want to be number one. However, one can be number one some time, but not all the time. Rise, then fall are cycle of nature that can not be overcome. Being first today or tomorrow is not something to write home about. There are always some one, or something better on horizon.

No empire lasts for ever, of course. But many empires lasted a very long time. In the modern era, their lifespan is shorter. But that hardly means they only last a “day” (though, yes, I understand you’re using metaphorical language). The British empire lasted a couple centuries or so, and was already in decline by the 1850s. The American “century” has not even lasted 100 years, and has been in decline at least since Vietnam and the end of the gold standard for the dollar.

Given that China is catching up in high-tech (and is ahead in several areas), chances are the future (if there is one) will be more or less a plateau, technologically. No nation will have the basis for an unchallengeable lead the way the Brits (and then the Americans) did. And if China is #1, it can hold that position for…centuries.

The sleeping giant, under Dung, awakened—comparable to Japan’s awakening during the Meiji Era. I see no other sleepers that could challenge that. And China will not likely mistake the Japanese did.

bottom line is he says the end, if it follows the pattern, is more or less due about 2030.

But then, yes, things are moving faster now, technology and spread of knowledge, for instance. There is also climate disruption, superbugs, crop depletion, and nukes to deal with.If an error is made with nuclear weapons it could end tomorrow — everything could end tomorrow.

David, It really does not matter. The history is evidence that China do not go out subjugate others to her well. Chinese values harmony and cooperation. If China in #1 position someday, which means China produce more thing the rest of the world want, so China will be in position to help others more as history has shown it repeatedly.

Every a few hundred years, China would fall into internal turmoil, Some well functioning tribe as the time would inflict heavy damage to China. Japan happen to be strong at the time China was in revolution. Instead of doing good for the region by helping the nations around Pacific rim, it brought its tradition of war to global scale. As the Mongols, Jin, Manchus and many more before them, however effective, cruel, military superior at the time, Japan will be only a foot note in Chinese history.

re:
Peace at borders, security within, prosperity, 100s flowers bloom (means diversity of ideals, studies), and friends from all direction are what we strive for.

And the tooth fairy is real too. Oh please! Someone really from China wouldn’t be propagating such obvious stereotypes. I fell sorry for Uncle Bob that he actual humored the impression you’re actually Chinese.

You have only proven the point that as an outsider looking in, even you, believe China sees itself as the next Apex power (of course that’s never going to happen because CCP ruled China doesnt have what it takes to pull it off: neither the technology, nor management skills, nor cultural dominance, media appeal, trans-cultural attraction and compatibility nor the demographics).

Look at China’s only two official allies: North Korea and the truly pathetic Pakistan. It’s so ridiculous that’s it’s hard to believe that it is a real situation. At least North Korea is taken seriously, but Pakistan is a laughing stock as ridiculous as mini-me Erdogan’s turkey and other irrationally lead and weak Turkic nations.

Pretty much everything you present is eminently reasonable…my only quibble as such is that I do not think there is yet a desperation among the ruling elite with regard to the dollar world system…

‘…Dark State is pushing so hard to wrap things up as to global hegemony because the threats to the dollar are growing, and the dollar is already living on borrowed time…’

I wish that were true…and have often fallen back on this line of thought myself…but a more detached appraisal of the situation leads me to conclude otherwise…I still think the empire has a lot of time to play with…borrowed as it may necessarily be…

The current order is not going to collapse overnight…and not without some cataclysmic event like the two world wars in the previous century that brought down the British Empire and gave rise to US world power…

Look at it this way…what kind of wars have we seen in the last quarter century…?…they have all been very lopsided affairs on the part of empire beating up small, almost defenseless countries…

I think the only thing the empire is truly scared of…for all their bluff and bluster…is a truly global war…causing widespread destruction…

This would bring the whole roof crashing down on their little Ponzi scheme whereby they feed off the sweat and misery of little folks worldwide…including right here at home…

This is also why I think there will not be any nuclear war…or even a big conventional war against Russia…unless the outcome is almost guaranteed as it was against Serbia, Iraq, Libya etc…

The Russian leadership should be smart enough to recognize this and call their bluff in Syria…if they make Syria a fortress now…it will stop any aggression…otherwise aggression is inevitable and Russia will be kicked out of the Levant unceremoniously…

Great article Saker … except for the part about China … Xi … and the Chinese people. So very few non-Chinese people throughout history have understood the Chinese Psyche … it has always been a mystery … especially to members of the Western Psyche. After October 1, 1949 apparently the Western elites were scratching their head … or their ass … and asking “Who lost China?”.

A cornerstone of the Chinese Psyche is called “Wu Wei” … literal English translation … “take no action”. This attitude is abundantly evident in the public Chinese foreign policy of non-intervention.

China has not risen from the ashes in the past 70 years by accident … and even the help Western Greed has so obviously provided was probably helped along by Chinese involvement.

The smiling Buddha as several people referred to Xi … is no pansy. Saker helped us understand how Russians have no need to display strength … the Chinese even less.

Me thinks Putin some time ago … and now Trump … have taken the Chinese Psych 101 course.

Look at the published outcomes of the Florida summit … the 100 day plan … the expression “100 xxx” stems from ancient Chinese philosophy … the Western title would have been the 90 day plan. Think about it.

China is involved in todays’ mess up to her eyeballs and speaking of courage and determination … Russia may still have something to learn from the Chinese.

Thank you for your enlightening views, Saker. But aren’t you underestimating Israel’s role in the conflict? Thanks to the article below, we finally know where Trump got his ‘Syria safe zones’ idea from.

Saker I agree with every word you wrote here except “The Russians are afraid of war. The Americans are not” The Americans are actually afraid of war they in my opinion voted for Trump to avoid this, it just that Trump like predecesors do not matter they have no control. They are just puppets of the deep state (war industry, banks, AIPAC, etc). Americans are hostages of their own government. Then as you mention but I think is important to stress is China´s weak behaviour when Russia is attacked from evey angle. What happened with the ancient chinese wisdom? Dont they know that they are next in the meny?

The Usanian Terror Bully (UTB) *is* rational. It acts on the basis of cold analysis where bugaboos are treated for what they are. It will rationally and relentlessly pursue its objectives, i.e. the objectives of the ruling plutocracy. To continue to believe in the illusions and projections of the UTB, such as presidents and nukes, on the other hand, displays a lack of rational analysis. Wishful thinking.

The UTB begins to have egg on its face due to resistance by Russia, China, Iran, Syria. It begins to look stupid in front of its vassals. The UTB cannot afford this. It needs to demonstrate strength. This is what you’ll continue to see.

The only thing that will help against the UTB is to physically disable it.

About your description of Trump and his inner circle…….you have described them as Mafiosa Gangsters whose negotiating tactic is this:give us what we want or we will break your (removed language,MOD) legs… next time:a bullet in your (removed language,MOD) head. I highly recommend that you rent the movie “Goodfellas”…for this is what Russia is up against-Mafiosa Gangster negotiation-not-agreeable types.

The Europeans COULD do something. They should denounce the US aggression and they should withdraw all support from the US. They should close down the US bases in Europe.

I’m going to disagree with you and suggest – they can’t. That the USA is so deeply and so widely entrenched in Europe that they can’t do any of that. How many US military installations are there in Europe? Troops? Whose interest do they serve – Europe – or the US? They have no EU army and their individual armies are insignificant. The US military presence in Europe is not insignificant.

They are required to be members of NATO – but NATO is a US construct – it exists to protect the USA (not Europe.) Consider that “NATO” buildup on their western border… does that buildup exist to protect Europe from a country that will never invade – or does it exist to ensure there is no possibility of an alliance between Europe (specially Germany) and Russia?

Remember when the sanctions against Russia started? Every time a member state got a bit itchy about them – they’d get a gas explosion in a nice suburb. Offhand I remember… France, Holland, Germany. …Sweden, who made such an ass of themselves “wanting Assange for rape\’ with no charges? Well. They first refused to demand him back. Then they got a car bomb explosion outside a big dept store near Xmas. Only the terrorist died. FFS. A terrie sitting in car waiting to blow himself up – and he doesn’t even kill one passerby? A terrorist attack or a warning? But after that – they put in a request to Interpol.

Germanwings. You remember Germanwings? The depressed suicidal co-pilot who flew himself and all his passengers into the mountainside without even holding his breath for the crunch! Really? Modern passenger planes are fitted with an anti-terrorist system – the Boeing Honeywell Uninterruptible Autopilot. It can be used to lock the cockpit, render everyone inside unconscious and fly and land the plane – remotely. That the plane had the BHUA isn’t suggestive of anything, but combined with a suicidal maniac who didn’t once yell back, whose breathing remained even and calm thru’out like he was – asleep? Well, surely worth at least as much consideration as the presumption of suicide?

Consider all these terrorist attacks by ISIS and AQ they’re getting ….. but ISIS and AQ are US constructs. They’re attacking Europe without American sayso? In my eye! America would cut them off AND send the CIA after them! …No? – well then – why have they never even once attacked Israel? (Israel – the biggest hated Muslim bugbear on the planet – completely safe from ISIS – Israel even prefers fanatical ISIS to secular Asaad!)

This latest terrorist trend of driving vehicles into pedestrians…. you are aware that modern vehicles can be remotely controlled? They never EVER capture these guys alive – someone always shoots them dead. Everytime. Their weapon is the car and they shoot them dead after the car has stopped. Why? Because dead men tell no tales? I’m not saying it’s so – but I am saying – think about it?

So I’ll end with a tale. I’m South African and I lived thru the Apartheid years.
Mouthy dissident types would get a visit at about 4am. First one – a verbal warning. Follow-ups? They beat people in the house up, raped and even killed. They weren’t the CIA – but they were our equivalent. Do you think a politician would allow his family members to be beaten, raped and murdered – rather than do as he was told? Do you think the CIA wouldn’t do that?

So don’t listen to what politicians SAY. Listen to what they don’t say – and watch what they do.
Cheers.

That is a very realistic summation of the regime that we the people find ourselves subservient to : under the jackboot of the thugs employed by the Masters of the Universe( as they like to think of themselves).

I agree with Saker that the US system has broken down. But I would go further and say the propaganda has infected too many (the majority?) for it to be overcome easily. As a good example here is a post I found on FB tonight. Its from a “regular” person. One of the multitude that buys into the “exceptionalism”.He is middle class/ working middle class.Very supportive of local authority,but not normally pro-Trump or pro-Clinton.Here is the post and more importantly the comments from other Americans.Whenever you hear that we are brainwashed think of this:

“If this s… pops off between the US and North Korea we may as well turn Israel loose on Iran too. They want it, and I wanna see it. Iran is ripe for regime change anyway. Israel will wipe Iran off the face of the earth in probably a week tops.”

Comments

” We would cause without US they just can’t do it.”

” Trump supposedly just had a sit down with china about nk. China has them by the ba..s”

” Im sure it went something like, “im Donald Trump and im not playing games with this fat piece of s…. Now we good but if you dont get buddy in line, im gonna give him what he think he wants” lol

” Nah, it didn’t go like that. Trump was eating dinner with China’s president, turned on a monitor of him bombing the s… outta Syria, and looked at China’s president and said get them before I do. Lol”

” Israel doesn’t need the US to end Iran. Their Air Force is one of the most powerful in the world. It’s all our s…. Iran doesn’t stand a chance there. Think back to the 6 day war.”

” If we don’t cover them their ass is grass. They do have one of the TOP 3 Air Forces in the world but somebody got to have their 6 and in that region they are HATED”

“They’re hated but pretty much everybody in the region is scared of them. It’ll be another 6 day war and they don’t want them problems.”

” I’m telling you it’s like going to school and your Big Brother is the s… and you and the entire school know it.”

“He said to China president I bombed Syria and everyone loved it..it was amazing..lol”

” 6 jdams and that base they bombed would have just been a huge hole in the earth.”

” I’ve done more damage on zero targets.”

“Israel doesn’t f… around lol every man woman and child is a trained soldier.”

” Nothing quite says f… you like a Jdam”

” Funny thing is, no matter your beliefs or what country we choose to level, we could do just that in one night! Our country will not risk killing innocent civilians tho. But like north Korea, we could level every base and arms stock in a matter of an hour ”

“And even worse, when those bombs start dropping those nukes they’re building be blown up too.”

” If something is going to happen, it will with in the next week. That strike group we just sent to the western Pacific, is cause on the 15th nk founding fathers anniversary and kim wants to do another missle test. If they do, bam, we have a reason to level their s… cause theres tension and a missle being fired within a patrolling area. Trumps smart and showing we not dealing with the bullshit. I didmt vote but that alone is why i was in favor of him being President”

‘you were doing ok. Then you went and associated 2 wrongs. Trump and Smart

‘He’s not smart he’s wreckless.”

“Matter fact they didnt call this strike, that’s why it had NO REAL EFFECT OR CHANGE to anything over there. Well except delaying a few barrel bombing flights”

” Lol hes not the first choice but foreign relations is a big problem and he has proved to address in manners it should be”

” S… he doesn’t have a f…… clue. He’s trying to get richer he don’t give two s…. about any of US.”

” Honestly i just want to see us use some of the s… i know we got, and things looking real possible for that right now lol”

“You going to fight”

” I have”

” Its not pretty but im willing to bet there wont be boots on the ground whatever happens”

” Well you already know that’s not about to happen. N. Korea don’t have anything of value and all the big oil nations are having issues and don’t want us there so where we going to test s… at? We’ve been over there since we helped all of them overthrow their Gov. We done almost drained that region.

The “wonderful” thing about social media is you get to see the “real” thinking of people. Not what you see on blog posts. But what people talk about with friends. When they don’t think its for public viewing.Their true nature and thoughts are shown much more clearly. So here you see what, I can almost guarantee, you would see in social media posts all over the US.I edited the language “slightly” for our site.

I don’t know anyone who is on facebook regularly, and I might guess most Americans aren’t except for ‘facebook kids’. I can’t say that that exchange is typical — it sounds to me more like high school kids or young adults — which maybe problematic, but not the most important sector. It’s not the way people I run into would say things, if they cared enough to say anything about it. Social media attracts a limited type of people, and, it seems, many trolls (as well as planted trolls).

But I’m guessing a lot here, and am not much in touch with this, and have never had a facebook (or twitter) account, and would not touch that stuff. I’m a recluse now (and like it). Mostly just chat a little with people I see at Walmart, and like that.

Still, many people don’t have a clue what’s going on and don’t want to know. Yet, all the money and effort on manipulating not just public perception, but what the supposed exceptions of the public are (as with the spun polling — the pseudo reality), need to be taken into account.

I suspect that has more to do with the people you know than anything else. There are many posters here that proudly talk about not watching the MSM (me as well BTW). But yet that limits our ability to give correct assessments of the thinking of most of the population in the US ,”who do watch or read it”. But here are a few stats for you. The 2017 statistics on FB use in the US show 214 million people on it (2 thirds of the US population). Of which 38.25 million were between 18-24,52.82 million were between 25-34,38.42 million between 35-44,32.34 million between 45-54,14.06 million between 55-64,and 20.02 million were 65+. Only 5.9 million were 13-17 years old. The ages of the people I quoted range from early to mid-twenties to mid-thirties.As has been shown in the ME and Europe as well. The social media (as much as I dislike it) is a powerful tool for gauging and influencing public opinion. The US used in quite well (for evil) during the “Arab Spring” and for the “maidan” in Ukraine.

Hi Saker
That analysis was excellent! I thoroughly reading it and was almost sad when I came to the end after 40 minutes.
I just wanted to ask a couple of questions.
One of the goals here is as you say full spectrum dominance and getting rid of the strongest competition like Russia and China is top of the agenda. One of the ways to do this is via the quatari pipeline via Syria. What do you think Russia’s response will be if the us put bases up in the east of Syria and prevent Syrian troops from reaching there? They just need to control enough of the country for the pipeline to go through and once the pipeline is built then I’m sure the EU will buy it in preference to Russia even if it’s more expensive. What are the Russian’s absolute red lines when it comes to Syria?
What are your thoughts behind China massing troops on the border with North Korea?
I agree that trump has lost his base and will not last 4 years. I’m not sure if the disillusioned voters will bother with the next elections and this may be sowing the seeds for future civil unrest.
What do us military analysts/intelligence make of this situation where their work is ignored and the agenda hijacked by the neocons? I’m assuming you have contact with them. They must be pretty disillusioned.
Thank you once again. Keep up the excellent work!

Some things I can see actualy.
The US Deep State needs a dump Idiot as President to put in charge for all bad Actions, wich is obviously Donald Trump and his Backstage main adviser and doughter Jovanka Trump. Do not underestimate her influence.

At next is the pretend-and-prickle strategy of the US to make target States furious and cause the next pretend by itself to be prickled.

Now we have Russia who will learn, train its defense and going to be stronger on each US pretend-and-prickle action. As rsult the Time works for Russia at all. So the best Russia can do is to stay calm and that is what they will do. Russia will do as less as possible. Let the US shipping around theier swimming coffins if they want. One day the overall defence becomes that strong, that they will cause zero damage except on them self.

The US will become more and more like a dumb naggling woman throwing her crockery and even her atomic bombs will become useless one day.

Great article with some positive titbits in what has been a depressing week. Reading about the possibility that Russia diverted the Tomahawk missiles was extremely interesting and I find myself mentally cheering for the Russians and Syrians. I hope they do upgrade Syria’s defences so future aggression from America,Israel or Turkey etc. can really be countered effectively.
Regarding China and the USA’s mutual dependance. That is true. What is also true is that the American economy should have collapsed years ago but it has been kept afloat by money printing and financial trickery. Who knows how long this can be maintained. China and Russia have turned to preserving wealth in gold rather than US treasuries, they have established alternative banking systems to reduce their reliance on the US dominated financial system. Time is on the side of China rather than the USA and many, including me, consider the constant war-mongering is at heart a desperate attempt to divert the “sheeples” attention from the fraud, theft and mismanagement of the global financial system by, primarily, Wall Street and the City of London.
If a global financial collapse occurs China has much more chance of controlling unrest among its citizens than the USA and it also has the New Silk Road project. One of the few bright spots in the worlds economy, unless of course you are a weapons manufacturer.

@UB. Yes. My initial thoughts also. Huffington were the most pure and extreme HRC shills.
Wikileaks revealed Adriana Huffington offering to stay in background where she could “help the most”.
The “not my president” crowd remain. Huffington is still their cheerleader.
Trump has broken with the constitution and committed a war crime. Grounds for impeachment.
They want him gone – and will use any and every device to achieve this.
Fueling and furthering existing doubts about the validity of Trumps 59-missile “tweet” is just another way to continue delegitimising his presidency.

Next reduktion of sionist influence will taket place in the US. When sionist influence grows over a tipping point the influenced make the reduction. During 2000 years and more this have happened time and time again.

We know the difference between test results and reality. The reality is that no American or Russian or what ever missile is ALWAYS accurate. Then there is the question how to measure the accuracy. It looks like only 4 of those 23 not blocked by brilliant Russian electronic system (how brilliant?) were accurate by all means. They caused the damage. Besides 4 x 450 kilos on explosive is not so devastating in such a huge area.

I’m not expert at all of electronic system Russians used but let’s remember that some Tomahawks hitting target might have also got late stage influence of that blocking system. It’s not just 1 or 0 – bullseye or bad miss. Sometimes even 2% influence are do same result. Fiasco is fiasco whether missile going 10 km or 500 meters away the target. Correct me please if i am totally wrong.

Friends, you all started too early sprinkle ashes on his head.
I do not speak any English, I write through Google-Translate.
Therefore I give references to analytical articles and video, in which it is justified that this situation – spectacle.
The Washington Post reaction makes these considerations even more reliable.

I suppose the author speaks Russian?
I suggest to other readers to use Google -Translator for reading articles.
Unfortunately you will not understand the video.
Maybe someone will translate the video, there is a very detailed analysis of the situation …

“Never betray your friends to court the favor of your enemies. If you betray your friends, the most principled and perceptive among them will drop you, leaving only the delusional and venal. That is not a good trade, given that the approval you gain is bound to be fleeting and contingent, whereas the contempt and distrust you create will be permanent. The people you betrayed may come back to you out of sentimentality or self-interest, but their trust and respect will never return. They will always regard you as a traitor.”

“Russia has no intentions to use its Aerospace Forces against US missiles if Washington decides to carry out new strikes in Syria as it could lead to a large-scale war, a senior Russian lawmaker said Monday.

The US administration said earlier in the day it may undertake further military activities against Syrian government forces if Damascus carries out another chemical attack on civilians.

“We cannot be dragged into a military confrontation as it could lead to a large-scale war,” First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Jabarov told reporters.”

In related news his father is rumored to have said in 1941 that “we can’t be dragged into a military confrontation with Germany.It could lead to a large scale war”. And his grandfather is rumored to said said “we can’t be dragged into a military confrontation with Austria-Hungary.It could lead to a large scale war”.And all three of them advocate/advocated knelling to Russia’s enemies as the first step for peace.Or in the current case probably the first step for a color revolution.Since the humiliation of surrender would most likely bring on the patriotic backlash that would spark the revolution we hear about being thought of for near the end of the year.

‘…Russia does not React well to Ultimatums…What Tillerson can offer Moscow…’

A Russian ‘political observer’ is quoted as saying…

‘…there are three basic proposals the secretary can make to his Russian colleague: empty threats, an ultimatum, or a deal respecting both Russian and Syrian interests…’

Personally I think number two is most likely with number three complete fantasy…

Of course…number three just might be what is supposedly presented…but as a deception to buy time and prevent RF from moving forces into theater…think Molotov-Ribbentrop…

The article goes on to note that the Killerson visit was preceded by a G7 meeting where the ultimatum to Russia on the Syria question was not doubt hammered out…as a ‘consolidated front…’

Russia is to leave Syria immediately…or else…

The article then quickly veers off into stupid-land…with another ‘commentator’ saying basically…’relax…don’t worry’…the US is making contradictory statements…one day Assad must go…the next day he can stay…then the third day he can stay again…etc…so nothing to worry about…

This is the kind of stupid thinking that’s going to get the RF a tight-fitting noose around her neck in Syria…

I’m not sure about the snub. Putin is meeting with Italy’s President. So there may be a good reason for not seeing Tillerson. And we aren’t certain that they may not end up meeting anyway. Its unclear right now. Still though,Lavrov and Tillerson are the same rank as FM’s (or SOC in the US). So it isn’t really so strange that President Putin might not meet with Tillerson. More important though is the comment Putin made today about the chemical weapons attack being a false flag by the rebels in Syria. And not an attack by the Assad government.I doubt he would have said that unless he was 100% sure about it. He isn’t given to wild false statements like we see so commonly in the West today.

@UB1. The RF knew immediately the Hollywood Helmets comical chemical clowns were playing a false flag. The RF Defense Dept said this straight away…
That Putin is saying it today- he is more media savvy than the west gives him credit.
He knows western (global) media now focussed on Tillerson/Lavrov in Moscow.
The controlled MSM may not report his comments on “false flag” too widely, but it will be noted where it matters.

RT is reporting there is a rumor that Tillerson is going to offer to readmit Russia to the G7 if Russia betrays Syria and turns on Assad. I’m wondering if he plans on “sweetening” the offer and throwing in an extra “30 pieces of silver” as well. In the past those kind of deals involved something like that. At least one I can think of did.

I believe Russia has plenty more options than mentioned by the author. Moscow’s biggest problem is she is really not a business minded entrepreneur when it comes to dealing with the Anglo-Zionist enterprise. She keeps playing honest chess games as if she is forever is playing in the Olympics, whereas the US is a lot more cunning, sly opponent. Therefore, before thinking of a direct military engagement and nuclear war with the US, one can see where these Western supermen get their false energy levels from. Basically, it’s the role of Saudi Arabia to keep pumping and delivering oil in order to sustain the NY, London, Nikkei, etc. stock market system at the core of Neocon activities around the world. Even a small disturbance at the initial stages will make the Neocons look for peace. This is why S.A. keeps supporting global terrorist activities in order to make everybody busy elsewhere.

Hi everyone from DownUnder.
The Saker is essential.
I think USA behave in some irrational manner because they follow the only policy they support: destroy or be destroyed according to some famous Jesuits doctrine.
It reminds me this excellent book from Amir Alexander… Infinitesimal: how a ‘dangerous’ mathematical theory shaped the modern world.
The Jesuits Order lost the battle against a modern world but not the war for the New World Order (never to be) and would only support obedience to a system made of their own conservative truth… till their last Pope?
Always paradoxal: the ennemi is chaos and yet in order to destroy what they don’t accept they spread more chaos. It’s somehow rational but shortsighted and short lived.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a man of order… it did not take long before entropy of chaos took the best of his sanity.
The furture world will be multipolar, diversified and… unified but neither under some delusional order nor after any nuclear winter even if danger is high.
De-weaponising the world is not some impossible utopia. It starts at home for the best cause: humanity… in one world.
Aristotle should have declared: “Love cannot be divided into things without infinitesimal parts of love”.

[quote] Ivanka is a mother of three kids and she has influence. I’m sure she said: ‘Listen, this is horrible stuff,” Trump’s son told The Telegraph newspaper.[unquote]

Seeing that Sputnik was quoting the Telegraph, I’m taking the article with a pinch of salt. On the other hand Trump has taken the unprecedented step of giving his daughter a role as an unpaid adviser in the White House…

It’s taken quite a while for me to size up Trump. But after reading some other sites and the comments here, I’d say that the Peter Principle is at work here, to wit: “managers rise to the level of their incompetence.” A successful businessman is sadly showing signs of being an incompetent politician, open to manipulation by his, frankly, treasonous advisers, conflicted between his business interests (you’re only Prez for max 8 years) and those of his country.

I don’t wish it, but looking at recent events like St Pete, Russia is already on the receiving end of another round of irregular war.

People would talk about the small fry because they cannot (or refuse to) see the biggest elephant in the room. Everything has been told in clear before the elephant got into the room of the White House.

“Donald Trump, America’s first Jewish president”, by David Peyman*, November 6, 2016,
@http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/donald-trump-americas-first-jewish-president/
**David Peyman is senior advisor and National Director of Jewish Affairs and Outreach for the Trump-Pence Campaign .

“….Mr. Trump’s ties to Jews and Israel go beyond policy. They also go beyond his loving support and encouragement of his religiously observant Jewish daughter and son-in-law and his pride in his Jewish grandchildren. Donald Trump’s love of the Jewish people dates back many decades. Senior observant Jewish executives in the Trump Organization recall being encouraged to stop deals on Friday afternoons so they can go home to their families to observe the Sabbath.
Mr. Trump has disavowed any support from anti-Semites, just as I hope Mrs. Clinton disavows support from anti-Israel groups that support her. I proudly wear my kippa to Trump Tower and receive support and encouragement from the campaign to take off every Sabbath and every Jewish holiday (of which there have been many in October), crucial days lost for any campaign. But supporting Jews is what Mr. Trump has done all his life.
These are some reasons why American Jews chose Donald Trump as Grand Marshall of the annual Israel Day Parade in New York. Mr. Trump’s policies, his staunch pro-Israel advisors and his personal ties to the Jewish people are why they will choose him as the next President of the United States.”

Now Ivanka and her ‘observant’ husband are followers of the fanatical messianic sect of Chabad-Lubavitch, rabidly anti-Russian.
But there is even more:
“Looks Like Donald Trump May Well Be Jewish. That Would Explain A Great Deal”, by Miles Mathis via Jim Kirwan 4-9-17
– See more at: http://rense.com/general96/trumpjewish.htm#sthash.c91wlgrx.dpuf

“Ivana [Ivanka’s mommy] is also Jewish. Geni.com lists her father’s name as both Knavs and Zelnícek. I’ll give you a hint: drop the second “e”. You get Zelnick. It is Yiddish for haberdasher. Clothier. It’s Jewish, too. See Robert Zelnick, Strauss Zelnick, Bob Zelnick, etc. Robert was a fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford. Strauss was President of 20th Century Fox. Bob was ABC News producer. Also Friedrich Zelnik, silent film producer. Also David O. Selznick, whose name was originally Zeleznick, or, alternately, Zelnick. He and his father were major Hollywood producers.”

Trump theatrically sends a 59-missile tweet, and four “beautiful babies” in Syria become “collateral damage”. ***
Several billion people take a sharp intake of breath and say: WTF?
A trillion collective hours are spent analysing, deconstructing, psychoanalysing:WHYdid he do this, and why now?
Now we know.

Ivanka.

Ivanka got upset watching a piece of Wag the Dog nonsense and begged daddy to blow up the “bad guys”.
Good to know, now that the world is standing at the very precipice of thermo-nuclear war, it’s because Daddy’s princess couldn’t determine the difference between a Disneyesque cartoon and the diabolical mass-death a real “sarin” attack would precipitate.****to paraphrase (and contort) Orwell, all “beautiful babies” are equal, but some beautiful babies just have to die if they are obstructing American “interests”

It’s crystal clear that what really matters now is military power. When that sky above Syria is closed then Americans will become once again co-operative.

There’s one thing making me worry: how risky is to give knowledge of highly brilliant Russia electronic warfare to Syrians? Leaking? Traitors? Spies? Or does Russians anyway something even better in their pocket if this sucked?

The possibility of a ‘Tier 1’ false flag (9/11 or worse) has gone right through the roof. DEFCON 1. Astute observers and commentators must start identifying possible targets. Perhaps outside the box, like a ‘chemical’ strike in Saudi itself.

So since the patient is raving mad, we must let him do as he pleases, at least for now, lest he brings down the house. But will he? What if the lunacy is staged? See for example the following quote from “Essentials of Post–Cold War Deterrence”, a document produced (in 1995) as a “Terms of Reference” by the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) of the United States Strategic Command:

“The fact that some elements may appear to be potentially ‘out of control’ can be beneficial to creating and reinforcing fears and doubts in the minds of an adversary’s decision makers. This essential sense of fear is the working force of deterrence. That the U.S. may become irrational and vindictive if its vital interests are attacked should be part of the national persona we project to all adversaries.”

Several of the errant cruise missiles have been located. Manufacturers ID plates indicate they were built in 2015 so are the latest Block IV devices.

One cruise missile crashed into the garden of a house in Karto, Tartus, fortunately without exploding. One missile killed 9 individuals in a Christian village not far from the airbase. One exploded in al Manzul killing 5 including children. One landed in another village (name forgotten) killing another 4 or so (including children). Finally one exploded near another village without causing injuries. So that is 5 miss-hits acccounted for. The others may have done what the USAF has been doing all along – pounding sand.

I would like The Saker and his Community to comment on the following summarized analysis why the so called west is fanning the flames of takfirism especially in that part of the world:

Once takfirism eventually rules Syria, Saudi Arabia and contemporaneously Iraq to the Euphrates the purpose of installing the NATO base in Libya will become apparent. i.e. the facillitation of takhfiriism into Egypt. (note how Egypt and Russia are realising urgency for closer co-operation).

Once achieved now Israel will have causus bellum to “help” rid the world of this “menace” to the cheers of the world community. In the process Israel will be able to secure the so called “Biblical” borders of the land of Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates!

Once achieved the zionists will smell the arrival of their King to be crowned for the “Leadership” of the world in Jerusalem. Those still sitting on the fence will see with their very own eyes how Israel now has “legitimacy” owning Biblical borders and at that time after having introduced “Real” and “Honest” money. i.e. gold/silver backed currency. They will flock in the millions to the “Messiah” of the land of ZION. Little will they realise that this man is the “false messiah”.

As history cannot end without truth triumphing over falsehood (otherwise there would be no justification in the act of creation in the first place) NOW the true MESSIAH Jesus, the Son of the Virgin Mary will return to settle the matter once and for all.

After that there will not be any need for any more empires in history as mankind would have reached perfect harmony in tune with the rest of the universe in surrendering to the will of the Lord most high.

“I would just underscore the supreme irony of a country basically built by and run by lawyers (just see how many of them there are in Congress) whose general population seems to be totally indifferent to the fact that their elected representatives act in a completely illegal manner”.

The main purpose of lawyers is not to enforce the law, but to find ways around it for those wealthy and unscrupulous enough to enlist their services.

So it turns out that lawyers are precisely the people to choose if you want to be effectively free from all laws and restraints. Not only can they find loopholes in all laws; they don’t have much use for, or interest in, customs and morals.

Years ago I was relaxing, watching a cricket match on TV. The commentator was the great John Arlott, who not only knew everything about the game and players, but never failed to come up with interesting and amusing things to talk about in the intervals between active play.

At the end of an over, while the fielders were moving to their new positions, the camera panned across the background scenery and zoomed in on a church whose spire had a most curious curve.

“That’s one of the most fascinating local landmarks,” related Arlott in his gravelly Hampshire tones. “They say the spire used to be perfectly straight like any other church’s. Then one day an honest lawyer went into the church – and it’s been like that ever since”.

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